Hopeless
by jadeDino
Summary: It is a few years after Apocalypse and a lot has happened. The x-men lost one of their teammates to Bolivar Trask via abduction and are still trying to find her. R&R. COMPLETE
1. In My Head

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I wrote this as a piece of my later story line Than includes Who we really are/ Haunting/ Hush little baby and others I have yet to write. I needed to get it out of my head before I lost it. So here it is...

Hopeless:

I dreamed of this for the longest time. Maybe today would be the day. I sat in my cell, it was a day like the hundreds before it. Maybe today would be the day that they would kill me.

* * *

I clung to my cold tile floor as I always did. The white coats came in as usual; their threats were heard and injections given. I've given up fighting them, what was the purpose, I'm only one person.

The compound was in the employ of over 2,000 staffers. This number included over 1000 guards, 500 researchers, 400 soldiers, 50 orderlies, 30 medical assistants, and 20 round the clock scientists.

* * *

This place was secluded. It was on an arctic island, somewhere in the middle of the ocean and no mans land. The compound was hidden; underground to be more precise. The cold metal structure was hidden under a never ending blanket of ice and snow.

I had never seen the outside, but I would hear things when the staff would talk. "I swear, today I got lost. Every single snow drift looks exactly the same." They would talk about the snow all of the time, how it agitated them, how they hated that they were away from home. I always wondered what they would do in my situation; there was no going home for me, I was stuck.

My home was thousands and thousands of miles away, I knew I would never see the faces of my loved ones again if they had anything to do with it. They would never see my face again. The mystery of my disappearance would never be solved because I will die here. This unfurnished, cold, decrepit room would be my coffin, I guess this would suffice, I was going to be dead anyways.

* * *

I laid there on my cold tiled bed. It was comforting now, especially after the operations. They didn't give me any pain meds. I would lay there on the damp floor writhing in pain and no one would care. I had even tore open stitches running down the side of my spine.

There was so much blood I didn't know what else to do than scream. The guards did not even check in on me. It took them two hours to check, and that was only because the doctors were coming in to see me. The doctors panicked; they yelled at the guards for not paying enough attention to me. At least they cared about me; if not me at least the experiments they had preformed on me.

* * *

Today there was something in the arctic air. It seemed somber, like something not so good was going to happen. The halls were quiet. They usually are quiet, but they seemed to quiet as if I was all alone. I wished with all my might that they would just disappear and leave me to die on my own of starvation or infection; it would be better than what they had planned.

The concrete and steel walls effected me mentally; so gray and governmental it was sickening. I would hallucinate; they would walk through the doors of my cell and I would spring into action as I had when there was still strength in my body. I dedicated the entire room to memory in the off chance I might get out of here. I would destroy it, the walls would crumble and fall on fire. My hands would take the lives of whom ever had hurt me; so I would just kill everyone, especially Bolivar Trask.

For the dreams of revenge kept me alive this long. I would make his heart stop before my life ended to ensure this wouldn't happen again. It was almost orgasmic thinking of the ways I would kill him. I wondered if I was crazy, if I was there was good reason for it. Torture everyday of my life since he took me away from my x-men. The operations, the abuse by the guards and orderlies, the knowing I'll never see my home or my friends again.

I lived in my overly crowded mind. My psyches kept me company, they made me more comfortable with the circumstances. At least, in my head I wasn't alone; I had everyone that was taken away from me so, I just waited and wished to die.

* * *

On todays specific agenda I was to be in the operating room, but the plans were changed. Was it sick that I wanted them to come in and take me to the operating room, I was in the mood for company. I wanted to act up so, they would have to come in to beat me; hopefully one of them would get carried away and beat me to death. Sick, I know. My morbid mind kept me entertained in the endless hours of silence.

I pulled the hospital gown they left me in to feel the cold of the floor on my feverish body. I don't know if it was me adjusting to the extreme cold or if I had caught an infection. I was mentally here, where I was at times. Others, lets just say that it was to painful to be mentally elsewhere.

* * *

The scabs also known as the orderlies walk in. They say "Okay freak, lets go." The big one; 6'5 and three hundred pounds turns me onto my back. Looking into my eyes, he wraps his hands around my neck and barks out "Mutants like you are dogs. They serve their purpose for a while, then it's time to put them down. Just a mangy little creature," he looks over his shoulder at the other orderly "When they misbehave ya just kick 'em in the nose." He looked back into my eyes and I spat in his face.

Enraged he drops his hold of my throat and kicks as hard as he can. His winter boot hit my face so hard the other orderly heard the bones break. The damn bastards laughed as the blood pored from my now disfigured nose.

Insanity overtook me and I laughed. My laughing just pissed him off. He knelt over and I spat my blood all over him. Before I knew it his massive fists slammed into my face over and over. I could feel the bruising start. He struck me again and the skin that rested on my cheekbone ripped open. He looked down on me, his smile was smug like he had resolved a problem; I wouldn't let go of my 'Punishment' than easily.

The orderlies bumped fists and I antagonized him. I stood up, my small frame was engulfed my his massiveness. I smiled up at him, in his eyes I could see the fury burn. His leg was fast as it struck me in the gut. I laughed an insane laugh, I wanted more, I wanted him to hurt me.

I made it to my knees and he knocked them out from under me. My mouth hit the ground so hard that I felt my front tooth lodge inside of my gums, it didn't take long for the blood to come. I tasted the flavor, it was a rusty salt mix. My face throbbed so, I held it and he mocked me. His mitt of a hand lay over his greasy looking cheek; I was pissed. I swung at him, but his massive arms caught my week twig of an arm.

The next thing I knew he had me very close to the ground. His booted foot came down on my arm and the pain smothered in a scream in my throat. The bone began to poke outward to my skin. My arm hung lazily at my side; I couldn't feel the pain anymore, it was replaced by the adrenalin. A thought crossed my psychotic mind; 'If I kept this going this guy would definitely kill me.' A smile so twisted and masochistic spread across my face, I could even see the guard getting creeped out.

* * *

Was it so bad to want to die in my situation? I knew they would never let me free, willingly. If I pissed this guy off so much he killed me, I would finally be free; right? If the situation were different people would have me committed, but now it didn't matter. I would prefer a psychiatric ward over my own personal Auschwitz.

I limped closer to him, as I closed the distance instinctively they took a step back as I took one forward. The smaller orderly said from behind the large one "Show 'er who's boss." The grizzly of a man came at me again; I didn't flinch, I'd never flinch. He hit me so hard with his massive hand that I went straight down without a fight.

* * *

In a haze, I saw to white streaks run into the room. Their voices were a blur; I couldn't hear anything, I could barely see. One of the blurs sounded angry, I could hear it in the persons tone; almost evil. The other ran over to me; the colors and shapes were blurring together and I couldn't tell who it was, a scientist or an orderly.

My head was propped up on someones knees and I knew it wasn't an orderly. The gentle hands grazed over my wounds; the ice cold fingertips felt good against my fevered bruises and gashes. I could hear the scientist begin to panic because I didn't respond to his or her voice.

A few words came in clear "Maybe a concussion" the young scientist yelled to the orderlies to go and get the gurney so they could take me to operating and fix me up.

I could see the cement of the halls flashing by in an intense blur; nothing made sense, nothing stood still. As her mind stood still the world around her was in a race. Time was on their side was pure bad luck for me. I was bleeding internally, but not as bad a I wished; they had time.

* * *

In a dark office a long way away from the operating table; Bolivar Trask sat behind his desk and watched. He saw the young mutant on the operating table, her flesh being ripped open by an surgical scalpel. As the crimson red blood pored out of her pale white skin he laughed knowing her intent. He watched the expressions on her face change in the room with the two orderlies. She was determined; determination pushed her to the brink.

She didn't care if she lived or died anymore. He knew that his plans were now in motion. He broke her spirit and he knew that it was just a matter of time 'til she would be his best creations; a super soldier that was more superior to the rest. He turned to his associate in the dimly lit office. His smile was triumphant. He was in the process of saying something military, but changed his mind and settled for:

"When hope dies so does fear. When fear dies, nothing else matters to the fearless. They don't care about well being or any type of being. All the fearless know are the extremes they will go to to become hopeful for any length of time.

"Trapped in a hopeless, fearless existence will warp the mind of a once strong individual. It will create something without a conscience, something that doesn't care about anything but its self. And in this, we get ... well, we get everything. With this, we can wipe the mutant menace from the planet and have no need to send innocent human lives into battle when we have our mutant pawns."

As the two men sat in the office in front of the large security monitor; they lit cigars in celebration knowing that their plans would be within their grasps in a very short time.


	2. Awake

**AN:**** Okay, I'm finally writing a second part to Hopeless. Who knows what my twisted little mind'll come up with in this one. If you like it let me know, I don't know if I want to continue this story line. R&R my lovees.**

**CH 2:** -In my head-

I cant see! Oh, god what happened.

She was strapped to a steel table. The room was cold and bright.

I- I cant move.

She pulled her arms. She couldn't move them, they felt as if they were cemented down. She tried to move her feet; she got nothing. She was stuck.

XxXxXxX

"Mr. Trask?" A young blond woman asked, but he didn't hear. He just watched as she struggled to move on the table. He smiled. "Mr. Trask? Sir, I know you didn't want to be disturbed, but someone is hacking into our system."

He turned and she seen the fury on his face. She was afraid. "What do you mean we are being hacked!" The vein on his forehead throbbed as he stared her down.

She bit her lip and said "Well, sir. The men in the tech area said someone was trying to hack our system and that I needed to tell you immediately."

He slammed his fists on his desk and yelled "Fix it!"

She knew the look on his face, it meant now, no exceptions. She ran down the hall and into the open elevator. She knew that if she didn't get the Tech guys to zap the hacker it would be her ass.

The elevator doors opened slowly, to slowly for her taste. She wanted to get to the tech area A.S.A.P., she needed them to fix it. She was one of the few mutants that Trask trusted enough to not have a chip in her head and she wanted to keep it that way.

The corridor was bright white and to her, Dylan Nash it felt like a hospital; she hated hospitals. The whole facility had a creepy hospital feeling and nothing she could do could make her shake that feeling.

She could see the glass walls between each of the tech workers. All separated by the near invisible glass that none seemed to notice, it was as if they were their cells. She walked past the entrance into the pit of workers as her shoulder was grabbed by a tall on edge man.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

She squirmed and jerked her body trying to get out of her restraints. She pulled so hard she felt something pop and all she felt was blinding pain.

Her sight was fuzzy, but she looked down at her arm and could clearly see the very bright red of blood flowing from a over sized arm. She didn't feel right and wished she could see what was wrong with her. She remembered that she had brought on a killer beating only to be unsuccessful in dieing.

She saw a blur rush at her and she tensed her entire body. She didn't know who or what came at her.

Whatever it was it set her throbbing arm free, without the pressure her arm felt a lot better than it did before. She blinked over and over again and her vision cleared, she could see a tall dirty blond man tending to her ripped stitches.

Her arm was swollen and in a half cast. The blood had been sopped up by the bandages holding the metal stint in place.

He was upset at me, I guess. It didn't matter, Hell I didn't care if he was pissed. He looked me in the eyes, I froze as his deep blue green orbs searched mine.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Nash, what did he say?" A man at a desk with a black uniform asked.

"He's pissed, what'd you think. He wants it fixed, like yesterday." He looked over at her. Her face was panicked, he knew if someone got into their system she would be blamed and put in the lab with the 10 other mutants. She knew that all the over exaggerated security was needed when and if any of them got out, they were all considered dangerous and the massive amount of man power was needed.

Dylan was a 28 year old mutant that never met another mutant in her life, until her brother introduced her to Trask. She owed everything to Bolivar Trask. He helped her get control of her abilities and he gave her a home and job.

She looked over at the man in the matching black uniform. Her brother looked nothing like her, he had sable colored hair and golden honey eyes. They looked nothing alike. She had long blond hair and cerulean blue eyes, neither of them looked like each other or their parents. She hated that she was alone in being a mutant and her brother was normal, hell she resented him for it. But, she still loved him.

"Anything, Ben?" She looked down at her younger brother, he was working as hard as he could.

He typed and typed all pass codes he could think of, but none were working. All of a sudden his mind clicked and he had an idea. He typed in a code that froze the entire system so he could pin point where the hacker exactly was. "I got em. Why the hell is he looking into medical charts?"

"What are you doing? Zap him!" Ben typed a few more keys and took the hackers entire system out.

"That guy wont be able to get onto anyones line for lets say a year with that hunk a junk." He smiled to himself proud of what he did, then to his sister. He could see the relief on her face and it made him feel good.

"I've gotta tell him everything is okay." She walked out of the cubicle, but turned back. "Ben"... he looked over at her "Thank you."

His smile widened "Don't mention it big sis. You know I only did it cause I love ya." He winked at her and she walked away.

XxxxXxXxXxXx

"Don't be frightened. I'm doctor Michael Steffen." He was gentle with her, he didn't pull on her arm and yell if she whimpered. "I've heard about you."

Her look went from curiosity to hate in a millisecond flat. He knows about me. My guess is Trask recruited him especially for whatever project he had planned for me. His expression changed as he scanned my face once more.

"I've been hearing a lot about you from the staff. They've been saying you're a lot of trouble." I didn't respond. I didn't care about what he heard, I just wondered where the other doctor was.

He stitched me up and gave me a pain killer. Since it was my first one I felt a bit loopy, my eyes kept crossing and I could barely hold my head up. Why the hell was he smiling?

I must have passed out or he drugged me, but I woke up in a darkened room. It wasn't mine, I had never seen this one in my entire time here. God knows how long thats been. Time in this place meant nothing for me, I couldn't even tell if it was daytime; no windows.

I could move. I could get up, but my legs were weak. I walked around the rather large room holding onto whatever I could get my hands on. I felt my legs quake, but it didn't matter. Whomever put me in here gave me an opportunity to get the hell out.

Okay, so I don't know where to go or where the hell I am, but I needed to try. I stumbled around the darkened room trying to find something to help me fight, a pointy or blunt object would do. Everything was nailed or bolted to the ground and nothing gave way to the little strength in my body. Shit.

Someone opened the door. I panicked and hid behind a huge machine. Great, I don't even have a god damn plan. What the hell am I gonna do, scare em to death.

"I know you're still in here." Her eyes narrowed and she tightened her jaw. She thought 'I can take one measly guy, plus he's a scientist, it'll be easy'.

His footfalls got louder as he got closer. She could see that his body had blocked most of the light, so she knew that he was close to her, very close. A white piece of material was an inch away from her face, she looked up and he was looking down at her smiling.

He pulled her up by her upper arms. His touch was yet again gentle, and she was confused. He let her go and she swung at him. She hit him with all she had and it connected. Even though she was weak she still packed one hell of a punch. She knocked him off balance and ran.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Dylan walked was just outside of her bosses door. Before she could knock he said "Come in Nash."

She didn't know what to do with her hands, so she just tucked them under her arms. "Hello, sir."

"Did we fix our little problem Nash?"

"Yes, sir. Ben fix the problem before anything was seen, sir."

Trask folded his hands atop his desk "Good then. I wouldn't want to have to program you for your errors. You were always helpful, even with your little problem."

"I know, sir. I'm very grateful for what you've done with me and for my problem." She put her head down and looked at the floor as if it suddenly interested her.

Trask got up from behind his desk, put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "You are an asset to this operation. But, if you get out of line in any way"... He squeezed as hard as he could as her face scrunched in pain "There are consequence, to which you are very aware of. I would hate to see you on one of those operating tables; apart of the weapon x projects."

Her face contorted in fear, she knew what happened to all the poor mutants who ended up in the program. Strapped to operating tables for months and months until they're completely programmed. These people didn't have any free will, all they knew was their orders and nothing else. If they were sent to find a significant piece of technology or to kill a specific person, they were relentless; they never stopped until the mission was complete.

Trask let her go; "You should get back to work before another incident happens."

Dylan rushed out of the room and headed directly to the tech pit.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Rogue ran. As injured and in pain she was, she ran full out. Every hallway looked exactly the same. She didn't know if she was running around in circles or if she was clearing long cemented after long cemented hall.

She ran down a dank hall, a corner. Shit. She turned the corner and seen a door. Holy shit! She ran faster and harder than before. She slammed into the door and pushed on the bar. The door opened and the alarms went off.

Red lights were flashing and the horn sounded. It was so loud she had to cover her ears. She ran out the building. She slipped and fell on the ice. God it's freezing. Snow was flying and she could barely see beyond what was right in front of her.

She ran into the cold freezing snow. No shoes, no coat, no nothing but the hospital gown. Her feet were getting numb and her face burned from the wind whipping the snow at it. Her feet sunk into the snow, the blizzard made it all the more harder to run. She had sunk all the way up to her thighs. Everything on her was numb and hurting.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Everyone was on red alert. Security guards were getting ready putting on their snow suits and getting their snow mobiles.

Dylan and all the rest of the staff were told to make sure all the other mutants were secure while the security guards and the soldiers went to hunt a mutant.

**AN:**** Okay guys, tell me what you think. Dylan, Ben Nash & Michael Steffen belong to me, but no one else. Well, my story too. R&R lovees.**


	3. Discovery

**AN****: I think I've got an idea where to bring this story, so bare with me. Let me know what you guys think.**

**Chapter 3**

_I've gotta keep running._

She had been running in the freezing cold arctic air for the past half hour. Her legs were numb and about to give out.

_Gotta keep running! Run or die! RUN!_

She didn't know where she was running or in what direction, all she knew is she needed to keep going. The bright sun was making the mixture of snow and ice shine like there was a massive amount of glitter everywhere.

_Oh, god. I... I cant breathe. _She was panting heavily. _Does it ever end. Where, where is the water? I need to get the hell off this chunk of ice._

She slipped on a hidden patch of ice.

The tundra was freezing and as always there were fractures all through out the ice.

She got up to see she almost fell to her death down into the fracture. _Great, I missed it by that much. _She leaned over a bit to see how far it went down. _I'd guess thats about a mile. _She looked across._ Well, that's gotta be maybe ten feet._

She heard the snow mobiles approaching._ Now, I guess I've got no choice. I need to jump._

She walked back about 10 feet, stood there for a moment and ran. When there was only enough room for one of her feet she jumped. She was in mid air for just a moment. As she got closer to the ledge, she realized she wasn't going to make it to the other side.

She slammed into the freezing ice, but her numbed face and body couldn't feel the difference. She clung onto the jagged ledge of ice. Her fingers were so numb she couldn't feel them slipping. She tried to brace herself on the ice with her feet hoping to be able to pull herself up. _Shit, I'm slipping._

_Oh, god. They're closer now. I got two choices. One, fall to my death on an icy glacier. Or two, let them take me back to that wretched place. How I'd kill for a third option._

The noise from the snow mobiles stopped.

Her fingers let go of the icy ledge. As her feet slipped off of her icy perch someone grabbed her arm. Whomever it was was extremely strong. He pulled her up from her icy coffin before she fell into it.

He dropped her hard onto the ice and stepped aside. For the first time in all the time she was there she saw him. _Trask!_ She felt a growl begin to roar in her chest. That must have been from spending so much time with Logan.

He had an arrogant stride to his walk. It may have been icy out there, but he never slipped. It must have been from the warm looking boots that were wrapped around his feet. Or, the fact that the bastard was pure evil and didn't need to walk to decimate any person or thing.

"Well, look at you." She looked up at him with pure hatred in her eyes. She knew if she had the power in her body she would've thrown him into the chasm.

"I didn't think you had it in you. To evade my guards and all my employees and get all the way out here. I underestimated you, Rogue."

The guards pulled her up from the ice and held each of her arms tightly.

"Make no mistake. No mistake. I will never do that again. I should have known Wolverine would teach you very well."

He looked at the two of his men who had hold of her and said "Bring her back. And make sure she doesn't pull this crap again. Or it's your ass!"

The two men dragged her frozen body to a snow mobile and cuffed her onto it.

By the time they reached the hidden lab, Dr. Steffen was already awake and waiting. He looked at her blue frost bitten skin and shook his head in disapproval. He followed them to the examination room where they placed her on the table and walked outside to wait to escort her to her cell.

"You didn't need to do that, you know. Running was a stupid thing to do. You know he wouldn't let you go that easily, right?"

She didn't answer or even look at him. "I especially loved the part where you socked me in the jaw. That's the best."

She tensed all over as he began to examine her. No powers, no strength in her body, no way to fight. _I was so close. I just needed a little more umph. Now I'm back in the 7__th __circle of hell._

Her mind drifted. She could tell he wasn't as bad as the others there, for some reason he was full of compassion unlike the others. His touch was tender and his eyes were gentle. Somewhere deep down in this man she could see that he cared.

He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bag of warmed saline. "This'll warm you up. But, for the human frost bite, I don't know."

He had administered the needle into her arm. She could feel the warmth flowing through her veins, it was a good feeling, she was beginning to feel her fingers again.

"Why?" He looked at her. Surprised at the first words she said to him.

"What do you mean why?"

"Why are you here?"

"I needed a job."

"Don't be stupid. Ah asked ya a question. A serious question that ah want an answer to."

"That is none of your business."

"You're not like em. You're nice and ah think ya care about what happens ta me."

"I do care what happens to you. You are my patient now, my charge that I need to care for. That's all."

"Ah think you're a bad liar, too. People in this place, even if they're my doctor don't give a damn. They are kinda inhuman. Especially towards me."

"How old are you?"

"Gonna be 19 in April."

"God... You're... you're still a.... a child." Her age regestered in his head. He had a little sister who was older than her, this young girl, this child. "Why would someone do this to a kid.?"

"He's a sick sadistic son of a bitch. It doesn't matter how old ah am. It just matters that he can do what e pleases ta me. Turn me inta a lab rat."

"How did he find you?" His eyes were wide with shock knowing she knew what he wanted to be done to her. The fact that she knew what he was up to and why made his heart hurt.

"Ah am. No, ah was a pupil of the original weapon x. My guess is he scouted all of the students at the manor and saw what ah could do. Plus ah was close ta Logan, it just made it better for him. He knew it would be more satisfying if ah was close ta Logan, if he cared more about me."

"That's why he chose you. To enrage someone else. To hurt an innocent child. I... I don't understand. Mr. Trask he's a ... he's not an evil man. He helped me more than you know. All he asked was that I work with him on his experiments. He told me they were voluntary. I don't..."

"If ya think about it to much you're head'll explode. Nothin he does makes any sense. To let ya know, he's not a good guy. Ya need ta watch ya back. He'll stab ya in the back with the quickness."

There was a quick rap on the door of the examination room. In walked a giant of a man. "I'm here to bring the mutie back to it's cell."

She had taken in about half the bag of the saline as the man pulled her off the table and dragged her out of the room.

After ten minutes Dr. Steffen marched out of the examination room.

He pounded on the door to the office of Mr. Bolivar Trask. The door opened as short man with thinning white hair nearly ran out. "Come in Doctor Steffen."

He entered the darkened office and sat down into a chair in front of the large metal desk. "How may I help you, doctor?"

"I need to ask."

"Ask away."

"The girl. The mutant. She tells me"...

"You can never trust a mutant. They just tell lies, nothing they say is the truth."

"But, Mr. Trask, sir. That girl ran, if she was here voluntarily she would not have ran. She mentioned a project called weapon x, I was reading old files from world war one and saw a mention of this project. How would a child know of something that is decades her senior."

"There is no such thing. That project has never existed. I know nothing of what you speak of."

"I read it. I know"...

"Lies. Lies told to you by a mutant."

"I could tell she wasn't lying she"...

"I don't want to hear it! That is enough! If you ever bring up this subject again Michael. You wont have to worry about yourself anymore, you'll need to worry about that pretty little sister of yours in Vancouver."

"Are you threatening"....

"No, I would never. You doctor Steffen are one of me employees, I would never."

The shock that spread across his face was wild fire. His sister, she had nothing to do with this. That girl, she was telling the truth about him. He was a monster, to do this to a girl, to threaten his sister; it was impossible to think straight. This man who was so generous with him when his sister was sick in the hospital. He was an absolute monster.

**AN****: Okay, I'm done with this chapter. Let me know what you guys think. R&R. **


	4. Operation

**AN****: I've been having a pretty crappy week so lets take it out on out poor Rogue, yes. It will just add to her suffering and make my story better. Okay, here goes. R&R as always my dear readers.**

**Chapter 4****: Operation**

_It burns. _

_They hurt, stop the burning._

_Ahh! No please._

_Stop!_

_Stop! Please stop!_

The blinding white light distracted her from seeing what was happening.

She heard them talking, but her mind was so loud with screaming she couldn't make any of their words out. RIPPP.

She felt it. Her flesh tore open. _No! Stop! Please!_

The doctors hovered over her. Scalpel in hand of the head surgeon. RIPPP! To her ears the bit of noise she heard sounded angry.

Tears streamed from her swollen eyes. How did she get here. Last she remembered was being dragged away from doctor Steffen. Now, it was just pain. Later would bring darkness.

_Why wont you stop?_ She tried to force out the words but they were smothered in her throat. They never made it past her lips. RIPPP!

A loud popping sound tore her from her thought and it was followed by agonizing pain. The monitors around her flared adding to the pain in her mind. The doctors well, scientists scurried around trying to fix the problem they had caused.

From behind a Plexiglas divider Dr. Steffen watched. They had shaved her head. Now was the first significant surgery of the whole project. Control.

The blood pored from under her exposed skull. Now they would use the bone saw to literally take the top of her head off, to tinker with what was inside.

CRUNCH!

The sound of the bone being ground under the steel saw blade made him feel sick. More blood rushed to the surface as they remover a rectangular piece of skull. Her exposed brain throbbed; at the sight of a child undergoing this major surgery made him want to hurt them.

He turned from the Plexiglas and nearly fell to the floor. Her exposed brain, her blood, their mission.

As she felt the saw vibrate her entire body, fear flooded through her entire being. Then pain came. Her head swam into a river of confusion. She felt lightheaded and woozy. Then came the darkness...

_This isn't really happening. Am I finally getting what I want. To Die?_

The darkness pushed up against her entire body. There was an intoxicating pull from it, all she had to do is give in.

A voice boomed in her head. _**Ya better not give in, kid!**_

_Wait, what?_

_**Ya heard me! Don't let em win, stripes.**_

_Logan?_

_**Yea, kid. I'm here, always have been.**_

_Why? How..._

_**You're strong enough to get through this kid. I know ya are.**_

_No, I can't. I'm to tired, I wanna give up._

A loud growl ripped through her tattered mind._** Don't ya ever talk like that kid! Don't ya ever let me hear ya talk like that!**_

_Why, what's the point? You're not even here._

_**I may not be kid, but ya need me, so I'm here.**_

The tears rolled from her closed eyes down the sides of her pale face. In her mind there was hope.

_But, you're not. I'm all alone._

_**I know, kid. We're still out there somewhere, ya just need ta be strong enough to get through this and find us.**_

_But, I wanna die. It hurts to much._

_**I know, kid. You'll get through it in no time. Don't worry.**_

_Why can't it end now, there'll be no more pain._ Her inner voice was so strained so weak, it cracked while she cried out the last word.

_**When it's over, you'll be different. Not the kid I know, someone different...**_

_I don't want to be someone different! I just want it to end!_

_**Don't say that god damn it! You'll be someone different, someone lost. I know ya kid, you'll come back. It wont always be like this. Ya just need to remember ya have a home, ya just gotta remember it.**_

His voice was fading and so was all the hope.

When he was fully gone, she let go.

The darkness enveloped her, she welcomed it. It was better than her own personal hell.

"Careful. Careful with her! Watch her head!" A familiar voice said with fury in it. She couldn't pinpoint who it belonged to, but she knew it was friendly.

She was stuck in the blackness that had swallowed her whole. Nothing seemed to pull her from it.

She was catatonic, but fully aware; she just didn't care. All she knew was the hollow loneliness and the excruciating pain that seemed to blind her.

"Are you alright?"

_Go away. Let me die!_

"Please answer me. If you're in pain, just tell me. I'll give you something for it."

_Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_

"How could I treat you if I don't know if you are hurting?"

_You don't._ Her inner voice was hollow and empty, nothing in it.

"You don't have to feel like this. The others didn't use any pain killers or anesthesia on you during the operation. I should have intervened, but I... I couldn't. I wanted to."

_Like that helps. Go away before I snap your neck!_

Without any verbal acknowledgment from her he took it as he was not wanted and left her cold, dirty cell.

_Why didn't you let me die? LOGAN! Answer me!_

The blackness echoed back to her. The voices weren't her own, but those of who she imprinted. Their company was not welcome to her. She wanted this place to herself, no one else. Her darkness her rules, no other personalities allowed.

They echoed._** Answer me!**_

_Maybe, I should put up some police tape and tell them it is a murder scene and they'll go away if they don't want to be killed too._

_**Answer me!**_

_Go away!_

_**Answer me!**_

_Shut up!_

_**ANSWER ME!**_

_GO AWAY!_

_**Answer US!**_

_Shut the fuck up! Leave me alone!_

_**Answer us?**_

_No, just go away._ Her response was weak barely a whisper.

_**I want to go home.**_

_So do I, so do I._

It got quiet. All she could hear was her own heart beat wildly in her chest.

_Oh, my head!_ She let out a low cry.

She reached up to touch her head and felt the strange skin feeling when she expected to feel her hair. At first she thought her tired pained mind tricked her hand and sent it in the wrong direction.

She raised both hands this time, and again she felt skin. She dragged her anorexic pale hands to where her face should be. She felt the plane of her forehead, the raise of her nose and the roundness of her cheeks.

It may have been a stupid thought at the time, especially with what she was going through._ Oh,..._ a sob began to form in her throat. _Oh, god._ She brought her hands back up to her bare head. _No, no, no, no, no, no. God, no. No!_

She released the sob from the confines of her throat. _Why!_ The tears fell from her eyes like tiny waterfalls. It all seemed to hit her in this one insignificant moment. _Why me? Does someone hate me that much. _

It was stupid to be upset over a superficial thing like hair, it wasn't like it would never grow back. It was the fact that, they took away the last thing in herself that made her different from them. Stripes. They were hers, she had them for so long and she didn't feel like herself before, let alone now.

She ran her skeletal fingers over her naked, broken, bruised head. She found the wounds and rubbed them with icy fingertips. They felt as if they were on fire, they ran along her hairline and down the back center of her skull. _What did they do to me?_

**AN****: Okay, I'm done with this one. Let me know what you think. I didn't even realize this took up six pages as I was writing it. (hehehehe) It's late and I'm tired so I'm leaving the story here until I next update. Enjoy! R&R! XD**


	5. Project X

**AN****: Okay, you guys. I'm going to bring in a new character in this chapter. For my fellow x-geeks you'll know who she is. Besides I think we need a new mutant in the mix, am I right? R&R my peoples.**

**Chapter 5****: Project X**

-Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.-

The sun was setting on another day in the bay.

"Hey, you. Um... girl."

The young fourteen year old girl turned to see an older man standing behind her. Her brows tightened as he began to speak.

"Are ya lost honey? You don't look like you're from here."

She didn't answer she just observed him. She was ready to react at a moments notice if the older man tried to do anything.

"Do you need help?"

She stood deathly still as the man came closer to her. "Do you know where yer mommy is?"

He stared deep into her muted green eyes for a moment and asked "Ya want me to get a a Mountie?"

The breeze changed. The air was colder than a moment ago and she could faintly hear something whooshing in the air. Something was wrong!

She tested the air and got a hint of kerosene from a distance of about 3,218 meters away. They were coming. Hydra!

Instinctively she ran for cover. Seeing this the older man followed her, he was frightened for the girl. He thought she was an abused child or a runaway. He followed her lead and found her behind a turned over boat.

"What's wrong? Why are ya hiding?"

"Get outta here! They find you with me they'll probably kill you."

"I'll just call the mounties"...

"No, just go. Get out of here!"

The helicopter was just moments away and the rotors of the helicopter drowned out all noise around her. She could see it was a military chopper, but there were no Hydra tags on it. Something was off.

The chopper landed on the edge of the bay lining. Dozens of men came out armed in bullet proof vests and tactical gear. Nothing about them said where they were from, it was just the man who came out behind them. His presence said it all. _Trask! _

_What is he doing here?_ She crouched and ejected her claws in anticipation. _If they're looking for a fight they came to the right mutant._

She noted that they were completely unaware of her presence behind the boat. The man in charge gave his orders to the men. They separated into their own squadrons and began to search for the 'mutie'.

As they all followed their orders to sweep the small town to find the young girl, she followed stealthily waiting for the right moment to attack. They passed by the small pub in the center of town. She climbed up the side of the wooden building using her claws to pull herself up.

Once she reached the roof she sat on top of a corner of the building clearly visible, but she didn't care. When they'd see her it would make the fight all the more interesting and she might have a bit of a challenge on her hands.

The men wandered around, checking every corner and shadow. _Didn't anyone ever tell you to look up. _As they passed under her perch, she dove down claws extended. She was ready.

The bright light of the cell shone down on the pale frail body lying on the floor. Her body lay limp and not move, not even when the doctor came in to check on her. He would clean the wounds and bandage them so they wouldn't get infected.

His warm hands ran over her cold bruised face. He looked down into her cold, hollow eyes and he remembered why he was here.

"_**Ellie, don't worry. Everything will be fine, we're working on it." His little sister looked up at him. She had gotten so sick so quickly, no one knew what was wrong. He had driven himself crazy trying to find answers. He was in the lab for days testing sample after sample.**_

"_**Michael, don't worry. The doctors will figure it out. They just need some time."**_

"_**Excuse me, doctor Steffen?"**_

_**He turned to see a nurse standing in the doorway. "Yes?"**_

"_**There's a man at the front desk asking for you."**_

"_**Thank you, I'll be there in a moment."**_

_**He looked back into his sisters eyes. "It'll be just a minute."**_

"_**Promise?"**_

_**He smiled at her "Promise." **_

_**He walked out of the room into the hospital corridor. When he reached the desk he saw a man. His tall slender frame was made bigger by the brown leather bomber jacket. His hair was finely brushed into place and his graying strands glowed in the fluorescent lights.**_

"_**Excuse me, are you looking for me?"**_

"_**If you are doctor Michael Steffen, then yes."**_

"_**Who are you? What do you want?"**_

"_**Doctor Steffen, may I call you Michael?" Steffen just glared at the other man not answering. "I am Bolivar Trask and I would like to help you and your sister."**_

_**The expression on his face was hopeful mashed together with skeptical. "Why would you want to help me?"**_

"_**I have heard about your sisters condition and I just couldn't turn away from someone who could use my help."**_

"_**How... who told you?"**_

"_**Well, Michael. I have friends all throughout the medical community, they notify me when unknown diseases pop up, so I may help."**_

"_**You're a doctor?"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Are you with the C. D. C.?"**_

"_**No, I'm just a man with a mission. And, I would like to help you. I have a team of scientists who can help in finding a cure for your sisters deteriorating state."**_

"_**Why... why would you do this for her, someone you don't know."**_

"_**I've been following your career and would like you to join my team. I'd do anything for my team."**_

As he recalled the reason he came to this horrid place. _But he saved Ellie. The price for saving my sister is to destroy a young girl. Poor thing has been here for longer than I have and I've been here for almost a year. I wonder if her family is still looking for her?_

-Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada.-

As she landed she took out two of the men standing below her. The other two whirled around and before they could fire a single shot she gutted them.

The air churned behind her letting her catch hold of a new scent, a mutant scent. Standing in a group of men there was a woman, the mutant.

"Nash!" Trask yelled over her walkie. "You make sure that that mutant is bagged and tagged by hours end!"

The line went dead and she knew she had to get the mutant they were after by the end of the hour or she'd be the next mutant on the operating table tomorrow.

She got closer to the unknown mutant scent making sure she took out the most threatening target before the weaker ones. Her slender agile body folded into its self as she hid behind small objects as she got closer to the unknown mutant.

She hid behind a wooden crate that was within two feet of the oblivious mutant. She was like a lioness on the hunt stalking her prey before she pounced.

From the helicopter site Trask watched as the little mutant stalked the bigger one. He was fascinated watching the animal like moves the young girl had, it made him wonder how Hydra was stupid enough to not put a chip into the frontal lobe to control her. _It is such a shame, for them. _

She hopped on top of the crate and watched the other woman for a moment. Her claws still had bits of blood on them, slowly dripping down towards her hands. She balled her fists and brought them to their respective sides of her waist. She jumped.

There was a low whistle in the air surrounding them.

While she was in mid-air she was hit by what she thought was a bullet. When she hit the ground Nash turned and seen the young girl on the floor. She was dazed and she couldn't focus her sight on anyone. Nash bent over and pulled a tranquilizer dart out of the girls left bicep.

"There's enough sedatives in that dart to take down an elephant in five seconds, so don't bother fighting the urge to sleep. It's not worth it."

She got on her walkie. "Sir, the girl is down for the count. We're bagging and tagging her as we speak. Nash over and out."The men around Nash bound the girls arms and hands together and carried her to the helicopter. All the living men strapped themselves into their seats as the chopper took off.

**AN****: So, what did you guys think? This wouldn't have been able to be put up if it weren't for the awesome and all mighty Descendant of Doom!! Thanks DOD! :) :D Well aren't ya going to R&R now? ;) **


	6. Wake Up Call

**AN****: Thanks for the reviews guys, I love when you talk back and react to the things I write about. I'm gonna be bringing X to the compound and see how she reacts to the facility. Mwahahaha. In the second chapter I believe that I mentioned that there are 10 mutants in the entire compound. So be expecting to get hints of other marvel mutants. -Jade.**

**Chapter 6****: Wake Up Call**

_What... What happened to me._ She opened her eyes to see the foggy decaying interior of the compound. She blinked several times to adjust her out of focus eyes.

Her lashes fluttered open and closed several more times as she tried to pinpoint her location. _This cant be Nunavut. Where am I? _

The cold looking cement walls were damp with the water from the melting ice from above. She could smell a nauseating amount of lead all around her, obviously it didn't bother anyone around her because they didn't have the sense of smell that she did.

_Six... six, I can handle six. Bring it!_ She went to swipe at them with her arm, but it wouldn't move. She looked down to her right wrist. A two and a half inch wide metal cuff held her arm down, she looked to her left and found its twin.

She went to kick, her ankles were adorned with cuffs of their own. When a scientist came up to her she ejected every claw in her body. Six. Two for each of her hands and one for each of her feet.

As each Adamantium claw broke through her skin she felt the rips more so then ever before. The blood surged from under her skin and made her wounds throb more so then before.

She let a pain filled scream escape her lips. "Aaahh!"

Trask walked up. "X-23 is what they call you, yes?"

She looked at him with pure horror written all through her face. "Go kill yer self!" escaped her lips with a growl.

He chuckled "Well, young lady. You need to watch what you say to the man who has you at his mercy." He smiled and seen the utter disgust in her eyes.

"When I get out of these manacles you'll see who needs to watch what they say to whom."

"When did the little girl become a become so, fearless? Moments ago all I seen from you was fear, where did the sudden courage come from?"

"From a place that I see in your near future. Me ripping your throat out!"

"I think the little pup needs to take a nap, don't you doctor?" He looks over his left shoulder at a man behind him with a syringe.

"Get that away from me!" The man walked closer to her and she started to flail as much as her restraints would let her. He stood only an inch from her and jabbed the needle into her neck. Within seconds she was unconscious.

"Get doctor Steffen in here now! He has another mutant to add to his care list."

In Rogues cell, Doctor Steffen hovered over her limp body. In the past week he has tried to get her to talk, eat, hell even respond to his presence. He was terrified that they had done something wrong to her brain besides the addition of the behavior modification chip.

"I know you feel different, but... I should... I don't know what to say to you anymore. You wont answer me. I don't know if it is because of the chip or they messed up and you cant respond or if you're refusing to talk to me because I didn't stop them."

In a voice lower then a whisper she hissed. "Traitor!"

He barely noticed her tiny voice, he looked down and seen two dull gray eyes looking up at him. "No, I wanted to. I couldn't, he wouldn't let me."

His chocolate brown eyes filled with guilt. He could have tried, but he didn't. He just let those men, if you could call them men drill into her head and stick hunks of metal into her brain. He was a traitor. _I am a traitor._

"How is your head feeling?"

She was silent. Her eyes were directed towards the cold cement wall. _He's just like the rest of them._

"I promise, I'll fix this. It won't always be like this."

She looked up at him with disgust and saw the truest expression of sorrow in his eyes. _He's... sorry?_ She pulled herself from the ground to be at eye level with him.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Liar! Why are you turning against him?"

His eyes widened in shock. _How the hell could she tell?_

"So traitor, are ya gonna answer me?"

"How..."

"It's not hard to read people, especially after living with two psychics for quite some time. They let ya in on the tells."

"He threatened someone I love."

"Told ya! Never turn your back on a python, he'll bite ya in the ass. Then you die!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Python? Really?"

"Yea, deadly. He may not look like much, but he has massive man power. And, unfortunately he's very persuasive."

"Wake y, wake y little mutie."

Her arms were unstrapped and she lay flat on her back in a cold half sunken in room.

"Don't worry little mutie, you'll be in a different room sooner then later."

She didn't care how much it hurt her, she ejected her claws.

What she seen were her knuckles turning white from her balling her fists so tightly. The tried again. Nothing.

"What did you do to me!"

The large orderly just laughed.

She screamed. "What did you do!"

He finally answered "Just a little adjustment. The little kitty needed to be declawed until she learns how to behave. That's all." The man smiled a cruel and triumphant smile as he slammed the door closed.

She ran to the door and began to slam her fists against it.

She beat on the door until she couldn't move her arms anymore. She felt woozy and weak and defenseless. She wanted to curl up into a ball and hide.

The bright lights in the room made it hard to sleep. She knew that if she didn't sleep she wouldn't regain any strength that she had lost yesterday. The scary thing was she was absolutely terrified to sleep, god only knew what they'd do if she fell asleep.

She backed into a corner and watched the door. _Anyone who comes through that door is going to get throttled and I'll get the hell out of here. _She sat and watched the door for what felt like hours, she couldn't help it, she fell asleep.

It was the next day to Rogue. Every time she woke up it was a new day even if it wasn't. Time in this place was nothing. Nothing dictated the day or the year here, it was mashed together. Another 'Day' would pass and the same old tired routine repeated its self over and over.

BOOM!

Her head jerked in the direction of the door. _They're coming!_

"Stay still. Shit! AHHH!"

**AN****: Okay you guys. I'm gonna leave it here. It's late and I'm due to start the next chapter of My Bloody Valentine. GRRRR! This is getting really confusing. I'm doing one story at a time next time, not 3. Well, R&R you guys! X and Rogue aren't gonna meet til the next chapter I think. I hope you enjoyed!! XD**


	7. Hope?

**AN****: Okay.... Here goes Nothing!!!! Thanks for reviewing, AND please don't stop. ;D**

**Chapter 7****: Hope?**

Rogue sat on the floor hearing the orderlies struggle with something or was it someone?

Her ear drums seemed to be shattered by the power of a growl she heard.A smile crept up on her face as she thought._ LOGAN! They're here!_

The voice snarled and snapped at the two men in the hall. "RRRRR!" The snarling and growling sounded in her ears like church bells, it was something she thought she'd never hear again.

She got off the floor and ran over to the door with the little strength in her legs. "Wolver... X... X-23." All the hope that had flooded her in those precious seconds as she thought that her family had found her left as fast as it had come.

"Get off of me you giant..." X's voice was muffled by one of the massive hands of the orderlies.

Rogue felt a sudden pang of sympathy for the girl. _This is all her life's been like. Labs, doctors, operations, just chaos! Why would someone do things like this to a little girl._

At this moment she knew deep within her heart just how sorry doctor Steffen was. She finally knew he just wanted to protect someone who couldn't protect themselves, it was the way she was feeling at this very moment. Outraged... Angered... Savage... Homicidal.

"Hey!" She yelled from the top of her lungs.

The men turned to her for a moment and shrugged it off.

"Hey ya cock suckers!" Her knees began to shake and were about to give out. She wouldn't let them. "I doubt she's gonna want ta watch y'all touchin and kissin each others asses. Ah doubt she goes that way with two greasy nasty..."

The two men threw the girl to the floor before Rogue could finish. She looked over to the door with the bald girl in it with wide and thankful eyes.

Before the men could open the door X dropped herself to the ground and leg swiped them. Once they landed on the floor she slammed her calf into their throats as hard as she could from that angle.

The two men gasped for air as their throats began to close and not allow any air to enter or escape. She rattled around in the mens pockets finding keys and passed.

On the other side of the door Rogues knees finally gave in and she fell to the floor.

A small feminine voice came from the hall. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"Ya might not remember me, but ah know who ya are. X-23."

"Who are you! Did you work for Hydra?"

"Nah, ah am, no ah was one a the x-men. Not anymore, ah guess."

"With Wolverine?" She stood on the tippy toes to look through the slotted hole on the door. Trying to find a face to identify. She seen no one and realized the voice came from the floor. She took the keys out and tried to find the one to unlock the door.

"Yeah, with Logan."

"And he isn't coming for you?" She found the right key.

"Ah guess not. Maybe it's been that long an they all forgot bout me." The door was pulled open and Rogue looked up into the eyes of the girl in front of her.

X looked down at an unrecognizable face. It was far to pale to be healthy, the lips were blueish and swollen. There were tiny bits of hair growing on a practically bald head. This person was to skinny, to broken and beaten to even be recognized.

She had a photographic memory and this person didn't match any of the people that she saw in the mansion the time she attacked. This girl had skin that had sallowed in the time since she's been here in this place.

From what she remembered of all the girls in the house they had flawless skin and were very pretty. This girl was frightening. _Hydra wouldn't have done this to an agent, not even to an experiment. Who are these people? Why?_

Something was familiar about her scent; she remembered back to that night. _Who was this girl? Why'd she help me?_

It was tricky trying to find an identity based on scent especially from a memory as old as that one was. But, there it was in her memory it was odd how familiar it was in her memory. This scent lingered on Wolverine, thats why._ She is close to him._

"Is he mad? That why he didn't come?" Her eyes were wide waiting for the older to respond.

"Ah, don't know. Ah remember he was mad at what ah did, but why wouldn't he come ta help me? He's not like that."

"Doesn't seem like it."

_-flashback-_

By the way Rogue rolled her eyes at X, she remembered. She was spying on them before she was to attack Wolverine. They were arguing in the living room as she watched waiting for the right moment to knock out the last three mutants before it would just be her and the reason her life was so bad. Wolverine.

_Stripes?_

He was telling them to keep on guard as a girl walked in.

_Two white stripes._

The girl was shorter then Wolverine wearing dark clothes and make up.

_Rogue? Was that it?_

Her eyes were dark, but an odd color; gray it looked odd but nice.

_-end of flashback- _

"Is that who you are? Are you... Rogue?"

"Ah used ta be. Ah haven't been me in a long time."

"How long?"

"Ah have no idea. Feels like forever though."

"Oh."

"Ah can wake up and it could be two weeks later. Ah could wake up in the middle o a surgery an not know where or when or how? This place warps ya mind."

"Do you know where we are?"

"All ah know is somewhere real icy. Outside there's snow everywhere."

"They let you out?"

"Nah, ah knocked a doc in the head an ran."

A walkie talkie sounded. "Hey Burt and Ernie. Did ya get the mutie in a good cage?"

Both of their gazes locked onto the walkie. Then there was a simultaneous "Crap!"

"Burt! Ernie! You two better not be beating another one of the muties. You'll be in a lot of trouble with the big man. Yo!"

Rogue reached for the walkie and used her roughed up voice. "WA!"

"If you two are kicking in any more of those mutants Traks'll kill ya."

"Nah, nah!"

"I'm serious guys. That guy has no problem killing anybody."

"Right. Mmm, Kay."

"I swear if you guys get your selves in trouble again, I ain't helping this time."

"Mmm, fine."

"o. n. o."

"What does e mean by ono?" Rogue looks over to the younger girl who just shrugs.

"Okay. Get up."

"Why?"

"We're going to get out of here."

"How?"

"I thought you might have an idea."

"No, ah got nothin."

"Okay. Show me the way you got out. When I seen them they had a helicopter, if we find it... Do you know how to fly a helicopter?"

"Ah learned on the simulation, not the real chopper."

"That's good enough! Get up and lets go."

"Ah think if we gonna try ta escape we should take the walkie, ta let us know if they gonna follow us."

"Good idea."

Rogue summoned all the strength left in her body, got up and followed the running girl in front of her.

The two girls had dragged the bodied of both men into her cell; gaged and bound them and locked the door.

As they ran down the hall the walkie talkie went off.

"Guys we got a staff meeting in twenty." Over the speaker they heard other men grumbling about the pending staff meeting.

"Hey, use that thing and ask about the helicopter."

"Oh, an that's not suspicious."

"Just do it."

Rogue picked up the walkie talkie. "When did they bring in the new mutie?" Her face cringed in disgust as she choked out the last word.

"Yesterday morning."

She pulled her brows close together. "In the chopper?"

"Yup."

"Ah..." she ahem-ed and continued. "I never seen it.."

"You should check it out. It's a nice bird."

She rested against a wall, she wasn't strong enough. "Where is it?"

"Man you sound like you're getting sick." Both of the girls eyes widened. "Stay the fuck away from me." The man on the other end laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. Where?"

"From where you guys are, hum. Take two rights, a left and just go straight from there, you'll see it."

"Yeah, um.. thanks."

"o. n. o."

"What the hells that mean?"

"Okay now over?"

"No, I jus got it. Over an out."

"Whatever, lets go."

The halls were empty except for the chairs the guards usually occupied. As they reached the open room where the helicopter sat on the landing pad.

"There it is!"

"Crap!"

"What?"

"Look, over there. Four soldiers, were screwed."

"Then we fight." She looked into Rogues eyes.

"Ah don't have it in me. Ah can't."

"Fine, you just get in that helicopter. I'll deal with them."

The girls went their separate ways, they tried to figure out a way to get through their tasks without getting caught.

X hid behind a an armory. She looked to see if the door was open. Since it was she headed inside grabbed a gun and began ransacking the tiny room for a silencer. _If I don't find one the others'll hear me shoot these guys. Where is it._

Rogue slunk to the helicopter and climbed in. Her body ached and she was dead tired. _How am I going to pull this off._ She sat in the pilots seat and flicked up a red switch. Then engine started and the guards were alerted.

The Four men in black uniforms rushed the helicopter. The aimed their guns at Rogue and she froze._ Shit._

_What did she do. Oh, well.... At least_ _I wont have to be quiet._ She ran out of the armory with the gun in hand. The engine was so loud they never heard her coming. She let off a shot.

POW! Down went the one to the far left.

POW!

POW! She took out two in a matter of seconds from the other.

She walked up to the last man standing. Standing behind him she put the gun to the back of his head. The man froze as he felt the metal of the gun on the back of his head, he dropped his rifle.

"What took ya so long?"

"Sorry."

X hit him in the head with the handle of the gun and pushed him into the helicopter. She ran back over to the three men she killed. She pulled off two of the mens clothes and jumped into the Helicopter.

Hearing the noise from the helicopter one of the soldiers ran into the room from a far off hall. He watched as it took off into the blue gray sky, not knowing his acquaintances weren't on the bird.

His eyes locked onto something on the floor. From where he was it looked like oil, but as he got closer he seen it was blood. He pulled out his walkie and radioed onto the main line and reported.

"Oh, god. I need medics. There are three men down. Shots fired.." He looked at one of them. "Into the back of the skull. I believe one of the subjects has broken out and commandeered the chopper at the central landing pad. We need help!"

As four dozen soldiers, medics and scientists raided the landing pad, Trask walked in and seen the show.

"Who! Who got out!"

A small man with thinning gray hair ran over to him. "The new subject, sir. And the other."

"Other. Who do you mean other!"

"The one from New York, sir."

"You'd better get her back to this base in a few hours time or I'll gut you myself. We've worked on her far to long and I've invested to many man hours trying to perfect her."

He pulled the smaller man closer to him by the collar of his white lab coat. "You get her and the younger one back here by sundown tomorrow or I'll go to Colfax county Nebraska and have a special little talk with your lovely family."

The smaller mans eyes widened in horror. "Do you understand me doctor?"

Trasks eyes were narrow looking down onto the older man. He was serious in his threat, he would go Colfax and kill the mans family. All he knew is that his project would get away and back to Wolverine and lead him back here ruining everything. All of his work ruined by two little mutant girls.

**AN****: Okie dokey. How'd ya like it? Let me know, I am really happy with this chapter. Let me know if you are too. :D. R&R.**


	8. Freedom

**AN****: He guys!!! Here's the next chapter. I have a feeling it'll be a bit long, but who cares. R&R my peeps. :)**

**Chapter 8****: Freedom**

"What do you mean you don't know how to land!"

"Ah told ya, simulation. Never got ta learn how ta land."

"Crap."

"Question."

"What?"

"Is that guy gonna wake up? Ah see em movin."

"Simple answer. I'll just whack him in the head again."

"Don't that cause aneurysms?"

"Who cares?"

"Right."

"Finally!"

"What?"

"Head east, I see land."

In the back of the helicopter the soldier opened his eyes in spastic flutters. He seen to small female figures in the pilot and co-pilot chairs.

He reached into his vest, pulled out a small silver canister, got up from his seat behind them.

The two girls didn't notice a tall shadow coming from behind them until he put his hands around Rogues eyes and pulled her head back into the headrest of the pilot chair.

"AAHH!"

"Get off her!" X jumped from her seat and tackled the soldier out of the cockpit. The helicopter dipped down then veered off to the side.

"Get em!"

X and the soldier slammed against the walls of the chopper. X crashed into the red lever that opened the door.

A strong wind entered the cabin and took all three by shock. Rogue panicked and jerked the joy stick causing both X and the soldier to fall out.

X was able to climb in._ I guess all that training was useful, I guess._ She looked down on the man staring up at her with wide frightened eyes.

His black hair whipped in the strong winds as his honey eyes begged to be helped. He did not want to die in freezing ice water. X walked up to him and was about to step on his gloved fingers and sent him to his icy death.

"NO!" Rogue looked back from her chair at X. "Don't ya dare. X, we can use em."

"He'll kill us." Her words were venomous as she hissed them down towards him.

"He's at our mercy. X pull em in!"

Outrage crossed X's face as she heard the older girl yell back to her a duplicitous demand. "NO!"

"If ya save em X, he owes ya his life. A lotta people hold that higher then loyalty; ya save em he'll have no choice but ta help."

The words she said sounder wrong to X, but the older girl had more experience with people then she did. She didn't want to deep down, but there was something deeper inside of her that told her that Rogue was right, she needed to save him.

He was holding onto the rail under the helicopter by his fingertips when she grabbed him by the wrist. "You better be grateful for this." His eyes grew even wider as she began to pull him up into the safety of the cabin. This mutant... no this girl had saved his life. She let him live.

"So, how is our progress going?" Trask looked over to the Cerulean blue eyes of Dylan Nash. They were red and irritated. She had learned two hours ago that her brother was taken by those horrible mutants.

Trask had told her that he was already dead if they had gotten their hands on him.

_-flashback-_

"_I am so very sorry Nash... Dylan, do you need anything. Name anything."_

"_What?! No, no it can't be. Not my brother, not Ben." The tears streamed down her bloodless cheeks, the shock of hearing that 'those dangerous mutants' had her brother. _

_Trask put his hand on her shoulder, in mock comfort. "Dear, we will get those damned mutants. If your brother is alive, we'll find him. If not, when we find them I'll let you have your time with them."_

"_How would that do anything?"_

"_You could exact your revenge. You could kill them."_

_Kill them..._

_Kill them..._

_Kill them..._

_-end of flashback-_

Kill them...

"How are we going to find them?"

"That is not my problem. My problem is getting them back here as least harmed as possible."

"What are talking about? Least harmed?"

"Why?" His honey eyes were plagued with the question.

"What!" X was conflicted, angry but not angry.

"You pulled me in. Why?"

"Wasn't my idea." She looked over to Rogue.

He looked over to the bald headed girl. "Hey." She looked back for a second. "Why did you tell her to save me."

Rogue looked down at the joy stick at her frail looking hand. "Sometimes we need ta be saved. If ah was in your position ah'd hoped someone woulda done the same fa me."

The look on his face was careful and thankful to the girl in the pilot seat. "But aren't... don't mutants... want humans dead?"

In her seat X almost busted into laughter. "Where the hell do you come from." He raised an eyebrow at her question. "Come on. I haven't been around normal people or mutants long and I know that's a..."

Rogue looked over at the young girl getting the gist of what she was going to say. "X!"

"What?!"

"He don't know. Don't go and ridicule the poor guy."

"Why? He has it coming with such a stupid question."

"Ah can't believe ya."

"What!?"

"You are definitely letting it show ya weren't raised by anyone." A growl escaped the young girls lips. "Ooh, ah'm so scared, ah'm shakin in my tattered gown."

"Ladies? Maybe you should postpone this fight until we are safely on the ground."

The two girls glared at each other making a silent agreement. "Did you figure out how to land it yet?" X asked through her teeth.

"Kinda. Ah jus gotta figure out what buttons what, an we'll be fine."

"Buttons?" A male voice came from behind them.

"Hey, ya never been in this thing?"

"Once." He admitted. "I never got to see them fly it."

"Start pressing things then."

"NO! Don't touch any of em!"

"Why?"

"These things sometimes have locator's. If ya switch the wrong button they'll probably be able ta find us faster."

"What do you mean find you. You're participants gone nuts."

In unison the girls yelled "WHAT!"

"None a us are here by will."

The shock spread across his face like wildfire. "But they said..."

"We were taken. We would of never have come here wanting to come here."

"You...No..."

"Yes. Ah got inta a fight with my family an jumped on the ducati an drove away ta clear my head. The bastards ran me off the road, last thing ah remembered was seein my own blood in my eyes an... an ah passed out."

"Why would Mr. T..."

"He's evil! That's why." X was unemotional almost disconnected from what happened.

"He helped me and my... Dylan?!"

"Who's Dylan?"

"My sister. She's a... a... a mutant."

"Is she the blond?"

"Blue eyes, about 5'8''?"

"Yeah, sure. They called her Nash."

"That's our last name."

"I guess it was her then."

"Ya might wanna strap yaselves in, we're gonna land. It ain't gonna be pretty."

The three of them strapped themselves onto the chairs. Rogue wasn't sure how to land it right, but she sure was gonna try.

She lowered the helicopter close to the ground. She tried to remember anything from those training sessions with Logan on the f aux chopper. The joy stick stuck on her tattered gown and she began to pull it free, she pulled with all her might and the downward thrust of the joy stick made the helicopter slam into the ground.

The glass broke into thousands of tiny pieces and the metal was dented and twisted. The helicopter was unable to fly, destroyed.

The red lights flashed all throughout the base. No one was escaping. What was happening?

"What the hell is going on!"

"Sir, someone hacked our defenses again. They're messing with our alarm system, we can't get them out without Ben Nash."

"Do something! If someone finds out what's happening here, you'll pay for not having stopped it in time."

"Sir, please. I don't have the skill to do such a task."

"Find someone who does then!" Trask seethed. His blood pressure skyrocketed as he sat in his dark office.

"Kitty?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, like I was trying to get through this weird defense system located in Antarctica."

"Antarctica?"

"I totally know it's probably like some global warming research team, but I need to do something."

"Kitty, it's been a year."

"SO! I'm not going to like give up on my best friend, Scott."

"The professor said."

"He wasn't sure. He can't tell. There was no way of telling, she's out there."

"But, the professor said... he said there's a possibility that..."

"Don't you dare! I swear if you say it... I'll... I'll... I'll never forgive you." The tears began to well into Kitty's big blue eyes clouding her vision of the computer screen.

"Kitty I... I don't want to believe it. If she was we would've found something."

"She could be hiding." She choked out her words as the tears rushed down her cheeks. Her tear drops fell upon the keyboard, she didn't want to hear anything about Rogue not still being alive.

_-flashback-_

_The last thing they found of her was at the crash site. The bike was totaled and there was scraps all over. _

_A stone wall surrounded it's house. It protected it's home from the assault of a body being thrown at going 30 mph. _

_There was a blood stain that no one could look at decorating the wall. The place of impact was the outer edge of of the wall. It smashed the face shield in onto her face. It had to have felt horribly painful. The plastic shards being thrown into her face with such force._ Kitty shuttered.

_It had looked so dark and eerie that day. She remembered before they found out there was an accident it had been such a beautiful December day. _

_It had just started snowing when the professor told them to suit up. They didn't know until Wolverine briefed them once they had gotten to the site. It had gotten suddenly darker._

Kitty tried to shake the memory, but it kept coming. _Kitty couldn't breathe. She couldn't even imagine what Kurt must have felt at the moment. He was her younger brother, he must have felt like he was dieing inside._

_Every hospital in a twenty mile radius, none had gotten a girl in her late teens that had been hit by a car on a motorcycle. Wolverine, Jean and the Professor personally checked every hospital for any trace of her. But, in every hospital they turned up with nothing._

"_Where could she have gone" was all anyone could ask. They even pressed their luck and reported her missing. _

_The police wouldn't help once they learned she was a mutant. No one was human enough to help find a teenage girl who was horribly wounded, possibly dieing. None even looked up into their faces, the faces of a family missing one of its children._

How could they be so cold? How could you hate a child you never met so much? Could you have let a child die, if you were asked for help in saving a young girl, would you?

_The professor sat in his place with the fear of losing one of his own in such a horrible way. The thought made it to hard to breathe. He asked them to help, to save an innocent girl who would have helped any number of them without them having to ask. His heart broke all he could think was why?_

_-end of flashback-_

Kitty shut down the computer. Her heart hurt. All she wanted to do was help, helping find her best friend made it easier to sleep at night in their empty room. Her things are still in their places from where she left them on December 18th of last year.

A Year...

One whole year...

Not even a year... 16 months... She had to be dead... if she wasn't why didn't she come back home?

**AN****: So what do you think??? SO, I had to bring in our little computer genius, who else woulda hacked a complex computer defense system??? My first one with more x-men. It was a spur of the moment thing, I didn't plan it, it just happened. R&R Please X.(**


	9. Ordered As Normal

**AN: Okay!!! Here is some more flashbacks and the three after the landing. What are they gonna do. Dum dum dum. R&R please.**

**Chapter 9: Ordered As normal**

_-flashback- Bayville 16 months ago-_

_The pale gray sky had a mystical purple hue. The sky was cloudy and gloomy as the x-children set out for school. No one had known why everything had happened the way it did but things were ordered to be as usual. Some of them went off to Bayville high school and others went off to Bayville University. _

_As they all piled out of the cars, they looked at the seemingly empty schools. Walking the halls didn't seem right; they felt wrong for being there when their friend couldn't. _

_Scott walked to his Psychology class alone without his friend and study buddy. He thought to himself ' I didn't even want to take this class, she convinced me. God I don't want to be here.' _

_At the high school Kitty sat at her desk and just dazed out of the window. _

_Kurt in his biology class sat there and looked at the dead frog in front of him. He remembered how she came home the day she had to dissect the frog. She was depressed, she loved frogs and she had to cut one open and take out it's innards. She had wanted to steal them all and give them a proper burial. He smiled and looked down at his notebook and the directions he had to begin to follow._

_Stalking down the halls of the manor; Logan paced. Watching him Hank shook his head knowing that he was more worried about her than anyone else, knowing that she was somewhere in the world with Trask. He thought to himself 'By the grace of god; I hope she's alright where ever she is.' Huffing and puffing Logan walked into the lab ._

"_Did he find anything yet?"_

"_No Logan. We haven't heard anything. If we did you would have already have known."_

"_Alright, bub. Anything from Fury?"_

"_Nothing." _

_Hank stared at the large computer screen and let his head hang. He felt useless, like nothing he could do would help find her; if she was alive. He typed her name 'Rogue..._

_Adler' and nothing came up. He hoped that someone who worked for Trask would have made a mistake and he would somehow would type something in on the computer and they would find her. _

_Hope dwindled and it seemed no one would find her; she would be another of those mutants who would just be completely lost._

_3:30 came and went. At 4:15 they were all home. The house had been under a spell of depression for a few weeks now. It seemed that they had all lost hope. If professor couldn't find her using cerebro; how would anyone else find her._

_Down stairs in the lower levels, he sat in his place. His helmet on, his focus grounded on her, but for weeks cerebro came up with nothing day after day. His students were getting restless. They wanted to know if they should try to move on or if they should just get used to not having her around. He pushed back into his chair frustrated that he nor cerebro could find her brain waves. Him not being able to locate her worried him; it chilled him to the bone. _

_In a cold dank room she laid on a chipped and cracked floor. No blanket, no pillow and no mattress. There was a leak in the ceiling and the puddle of water drew closer and closer to her unconscious body. The black and white tiled floor was dull and icy and she lay on it nearly naked. _

_Her arms had big purple, black and yellow bruises on them. Her legs had gashes that were nearly 2'' deep. Her hair was wet, as if they had washed her down to get rid of the blood. She didn't move not even an inch since she got there._

_In Bayville it was sun down and Logan was at the crash site. He seen the blood stains on the stone wall. There were still pieces of glass and plastic on the sidewalk. He imagined how it happened a thousand times, he wondered if he made a mistake listening to Charles; he should have chased after her. He wished he had stopped her before she got on that bike. He looked at the intersection nearly 70ft away and he wondered 'How hard was she hit that her and the bike ended up all the way over here. _

_-end of flashback-_

"Logan?"

"Yeah, Chuck."

"We all were wondering if you were going to stay out for a while."

"Depends."

"Until you get another lead?"

"Yeah." The blue eyes of Professor Charles Xavier locked onto the one of his teachers determined not to give up until he finds Rogue or her body.

"Logan, I think it's time..."

Logan's anger swelled to the surface. "Don't ya dare, Chuck! That kid... Stripes... she's somewhere with Trask, I know it. It's my fault she's there. I gave em a silver platter with all the mutants he could ever want."

"Logan..."

"No Chuck. I put all the kids in danger, an that sick bastard has the kid. I'm gonna find er Chuck. I'll bring that kid home."

He got up, stormed to the door and headed out. Logan had rarely been home in the past year. He would search from Bayville to Bali, anywhere his leads would take him.

Once the door slammed, the professor whispered "Good luck."

_-flashback-_

"_Rogue, how could you keep such a secret from us?"_

"_Ah..." The tears welled in her charcoal gray eyes. _

"_Do you realize how dangerous what you did was?" Storm demanded fear and love exuding from her stern trembling voice. _

"_Ah know!"_

"_Obviously you don't kid. How stupid are you ta go and pull something like that. Ya realize those guys coulda killed ya?"_

"_Ah know. Logan... they didn't."_

"_Yeah, cause that guy saved your ass Stripes."_

_All the professor could do was look a her with disappointment in his expressive blue eyes._

"_They woulda killed ya kid. What... what..."_

"_Could you have been thinking? You act like you still have your ability, but you don't." Storm was about to cry._

_They had all learned what had happened from the young man in the living room. He saved her. If he didn't she would have been another young girl killed when she was alone in the city._

"_How could you keep this? Weren't you in pain?" Storm rested her arm on the girls shoulder._

"_Ah... was."_

"_You didn't go to hank kid. He woulda given ya something."_

"_He woulda told."_

"_So" they said in unison._

"_Kid! How stupid!..."_

_The tears fell from her eyes and she pushed through the three of them before her. As she ran out of the door Logan went to follow._

"_Logan. She she needs a moment to calm down. Just a moment."_

_Logan paused and heard an engine. Once he heard an engine ignite he ran out of the front door. "The kid jumped on the Ducati"_

_-end of flashback-_

"Ow." She opened her eyes in the newly destroyed helicopter. She looked down at the pannels, they were smashed. I_ knew that wouldn't be good._

She looked behind her. X and the soldier were gone. _The landing must of thrown them from the chopper._

She jumped from her seat and ran out of the helicopter. Outside the soldier and X were scouting the area. When they seen her panicked face they headed towards her at full speed.

"You okay?"

"Ah'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, what happened?"

"We kinda crashed."

"Obviously. X, where are we?"

"Don't know."

"There looks to be a town a few miles away." The soldier said with a squint.

"Good, that's good."

"Here, put this on." She looked down at the clothes. "I doubt a paper thin hospital will keep you warm, since it is a bit cold."

"Thanks." She smiles as much as her pained face would let her, which wasn't much. She went back inside the helicopter to change. There was glass and twisted metal all over the floor._ Good thing X grabbed the boots, too._ She slipped into the slightly to big uniform and pulled on the boots.

When she walked out, she saw X glaring at the young soldier, but not in a good way.

"Shall we?"

X turned to see Rogue. Her pale sunken in face looked horrible, especially since it was accentuated by the black outfit. She didn't even resemble the older girl who she had once seen with Wolverine.

Her hair was short, about the length of a crew cut. The dark brown hair covered most of her head, but in the front the white hair grew instep with the rest of it. She was starting to look like the person she used to be, but not that much.

"Bout how far ya think it is?"

"Four maybe five miles."

"Then lets get ta movin."

It took an hour and forty minutes to get to the little town. Rogue huffed and puffed, she hadn't been this active in so long she was exhausted.

"Hope they speak English, German or French?" Rogue saw a woman and walked over to her.

"Excuse me?" The woman smiled at her. "Ah'm sorry ta bother ya, but ah'm lost. Can ya tell me where we are?"

"Hobart."

"Hobart? An where's Hobart by chance?"

"Australia." The concern grew on the womans face "Dear, do you need any help?"

"No. No, but thank you."

Rogue walked over to the two others in her party.

"Were in Australia."

"Crap. Thats far from Nunavut."

"Where?" Both Rogue and the soldier asked.

"Canada. That's where I was."

"Oh. X what were ya doin in Canada?"

"Looking for something."

"An that is what exactly?"

"Nothing. So what are going to do here?"

"Find a phone. I want to call my sister and warn her about Trask."

"Ya can't do that. They'll take her phone an trace the call, then we'll get thrown inta a cell like rats."

"I can't just leave my sister like that. She's a... a mutant too. What'll they do to her?"

X looked over to Rogue knowing she had the experience. Rogue looked over to him. "What's ya name besides Nash?"

"Ben."

"Well, Ben. If he's willin ta throw her inta the program, a lotta not so nice things'll happen."

"So we don't help her?"

"Ben ah..."

"She's my sister!"

"If we make it ta the X-men, they'll help."

X snorted. "Yeah, like they helped you?"

"It's not like that."

"Then what's it like?"

"They're probably still lookin fa me. No one even knows ya missin."

"If they were looking for you they would of found you by now. How long have you been gone?"

"Ah... ah... ah don't know." She stared down at the dirt covered ground.

"You could've been gone for years. They probably forgot all about you. What now, you're gonna pop into their lives like you were never gone. No, things don't work like that."

"They're my family. They ain't gonna forget me."

"You never know, they probably went on with their lives. They probably replaced you."

Ben stood there looking at the two arguing girls. "Wow, someone is bitter."

"I'm not bitter. I'm just telling her the truth!"

Rogue walked back over to the woman watching the three argue. "Ah'm sorry. Do you know where a phone is?"

**AN****: Mwahaha. Okay now that I got that outta my system. How'd you like it??? I had to cut it off before she were to pick up a phone, didn't want to put to much into one chapter. Well anyways PLEASE Review. :(**


	10. The Outback

**AN****: The last chapter took ten pages. I can't believe I wanted to keep going after it, but I needed to stop sometime. Don't mind the language, sometimes people get frustrated. R&R. :D**

**Chapter 10****: The Outback**

"There's a phone box in the diner, ay?"

"Thanks." Rogue walked back over to the others. "There's a phone in the diner, ah'm gonna call the professor."

"Do you have any money you're not telling us about?"

"Ah'm callin collect X."

"You can do that?" Rogue walked away from them into the diner.

There was oak wainscoting and picnic blanket pattern wallpaper. It was a small restaurant maybe a dozen tables and half a dozen customers. She eyed the phone on the wall by the bathroom doors which read 'Blokes & Sheila's'. (Men &Women)

She picked up the receiver and presses 0.

"Operator, can I help ya?"

"Um... hi. Can ah make a collect call ta New York?"

"Wow, that's cooee. (far away) Can they afford it?"

"Yeah, they can, please it's an emergency."

"What's the numba?"

Rogue stood there and the woman connected the call.

Prring...

Prring...

Prring...

"Xavier institute of mental illness Ray speaking."

"Kitty! What are you doing?"

"Well, I like have to finish a 20 page paper on Redundant Arrays of independent Disks."

"What?"

"On categories of disk drives that employ two or more drives in combination for fault tolerance and performance."

The look on Lances face said more than his words. "Huh?"

"It's about computer disk drives. It isn't that hard to like understand, want me to explain?"

"No! Kitty, we have a date."

"I am totally sorry, I can't. This paper is due on Monday and my professor is such a total douche, he won't let me slide, he'll just fail me."

"Come on Kitty, I haven't seen ya in two weeks. Just cause you're in college..."

"What are you trying to say Lance?!"

"It's like you're to good to go on a date with me."

"What are you talking about? That isn't tru..."

"Oh please Kitty. You being apart of the geek squad... You're not who you used to be."

"Lance... a lot's happened."

"Yeah, I know... losing a best friend isn't something that's easy. You've become obsessed about it. You need to face it Kitty, Rogue's dead."

The rage filled Kitty's tiny frame. Her boyfriend... Lance. He wanted her to give up on her best friend, the only one who encouraged Kitty to take a chance with Lance. He knew it, Rogue used to cover for them when Kitty would sneak out to the brotherhood boarding house. She would lie for them and he wanted her to give up.

"Get the hell out NOW!"

"Kitty?"

"No! Get out!"

"Come on."

"Get out of here now! I can't believe you! Get out!"

"Half pint, what's the problem?"

"Get him out!"

"Kitty?!"

"I don't" she sniffed trying to breathe. Holding back the tears for her friend and losing her first love. "I don't want to see your stupid face again. Get out!"

Lance was in shock. "Kitty, please. What..."

"Get out!" The tears fell. Her heart ached. _How could he say that? Why? Lance!_

As Wolverine pulled Lance out to the front door, Kitty collapsed onto the couch.

Her tears stained the material and Kitty felt like she was dieing. _She's alive... She's alive. She's A... L... I...V... E... She has to be! _

Kurt walked into the living room with Jean.

"Kitty!?" They were alarmed. They'd never seen her so upset.

"Stupid Lance." She said not picking her head up from the couch cushion.

"What did he cancel your date?"

"No, I broke up with him."

"Why, what happened?"

"Jean... I so don't wanna talk about it. Can you just go away?"

"Sure Kitty. Come on Kurt."

Jean and Kurt walked into the kitchen and saw Scott. "Hey, sweetie."

"Hey, Scotty."

"Hi, Kurt. Don't call me that."

"Okay scooter."

"That neither!"

Prring...

Prring...

Prring...

"Xavier institute of mental illness, Ray speaking."

"R....a...." The phone signal broke up.

"Hello?"

"Ra... ge... prof... t's ro..." (Ray get the professor, it's Rogue)

"YO! Hello... "

"Sh...t R...y!" (shit, Ray)

"What's wrong?"

"The stupid phone keeps breakin up. Ah need ta find another one."

"Good luck."

"Stop bein like that X. We'll find a phone."

"Sure, sure."

Rogue walked up to the man at the counter. "Excuse me, ah need ta find another phone, that one keeps breakin up."

"Look here Shelia, we're in Hobart. Jus go over to the cafe, ya probly gonna find a phone box there."

"Thank you." Rogue rushed out of the diner and headed into the cafe. There were people everywhere in this place. They obviously had a neighborhood following.

"Hey there Shelia, nice do." A young handsome man mentioned.

She walked past him into the crowded area where the 'Phone Box' was. People turned and looked, they whispered and they pointed. Rogue wanted to turn and knock each and every one of them out, but for now she needed to get in communication with her family... her people.

"Aw, come on Pam! Bloody acrimony, I wasn't with that Shelia. No. That little ankle-biter ain't mine. (baby) Gawd! No, never. Not with a banana-bender. (someone from Queensland) Pammy, Pammy love... Okay, I'll meet ya at the boozer tanight. Love ya."

He hung up the phone and turned to see Rogue. He looked her head to toe and winked. "Hey there love."

"Can ya move, ah need the phone."

"Sure Shelia. I'll move." He just walked over to her side.

"Ah'm gonna make a private call, if ya don't mind."

"No, I don't. Ya want a cup a joe?"

"No jus go away."

"Why?"

"Cause if ya don't you'll end up bein thrown through the front window." She growled out the words. She was tired, frustrated and hungry; why didn't people just look away.

He got the hint and walked away. X and Ben smiled, they finally began to see some fight was left in her and it was good.

"He wanted to buy you some coffee?" Ben said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Shut up." She picked up the receiver and dialed 0.

"Operator."

"Ah'd like ta make a collect call to New York, the U.S."

"One moment please." She heard clicking on the other end. "What's the numba?..."

Prring...

...Prring...

...Prring...

"Xavier Institute?"

"Hello, put the professor on."

"Who is this?"

"Put the fuckin professor on, now!"

"Yikes, okay." The noise from the other end of the phone was muffled. "Professor, someone on the phone for you."

"Who is it?"

"Donno."

"Hello this is Charles Xavier?"

"Prof..."

"Get down!"

BOOM!

"Hello?!" There was alarm in his voice as he heard.

"Rogue, get up! We gotta run. Go!"

"X, I got the prof. Ah need ta tell em where..."

BOOM!

"Rogue?! If you're there answer me? HELLO!"

"…........." The phone line went dead.

"Professor, are you okay?"

"I... I think that was.......... Rogue." His worried face lined as he tried to ponder what had happened. _Why had the phone gone dead. Was that really her. Was she okay?_

"Hey Professor, Rahne said that someone yelled at her to put you on the phone. Who was it?"

"I... I think it was Rogue."

**AN****: So what'd ya think. I had to put in a curse or two, when I get frustrated I tend to curse a LOT, so why wouldn't Rogue and everyone else. Wonder what was behind all the noise in the outback??? R&R!!! :)**


	11. Timing

**AN****: I know, I know. I'm mean... I love cliffies it's what I always loved about books, movies and T.V. I always get so anxious to read or see what happens next, for me it always ends up being better. Well, I', weird who cares. Some of you were right with your guesses, but only half right. Hehehehe! Thanks for the reviews and favs. Guys!!! You are all LOVED! R&R Please.... or I'll cry. :'(**

**Chapter 11****: Timing**

"Get Kitty! Scott, please, Now!" Scott ran out of the room.

"Amara, have you seen Kitty?"

"I think she's in her room, why?"

"Thanks!" He ran up the stairs, through the halls all the way to a door that read 'Kitty & Rogue's Room' He threw the door only to find it void of people. He ran into the hall and bumped into Ray.

"RAY! You seen Kitty?"

"Yeah, she just headed out, she's waiting for Kurt, Think they're goin to the mall."

"Thanks, Ray." Scott took off again. When he reached the front door Kitty and Kurt were headed down the driveway in Kurt's SUV.

"KURT! STOP!" Scott ran waving his arms in the air.

"Um... What's wrong with Scott?"

"Don't know vat's vrong."

"Maybe you should like stop." Kurt stopped his car and Scott ran up.

"Kitty....." he panted trying to breathe and force out words. "Professor... needs... you... Rogue... called...I think."

Kitty's eyes widened with surprise and joy. "Are you like Kidding?!"

"....No!" Kitty ripped off her seatbelt, threw open the door and ran back up to the house.

"Professor." She ran phasing through any object in her way. She appeared through the living room wall.

"Kitty!..." The professor gripped his chest when Kitty appeared. "Goodness, I need you to go into the phone log system and pull up a number for me. Then I need you to head down to the lower levels with me."

"Okay." She quickly walked behind his desk and started typing on his computer. "11-5555-0324"

"Where's that from?"

"Australia."

"Where in?"

"One minute." Kitty typed in more words and letters. "Where the hell..."

"Kitty?"

"Some place called Hobart."

"Print it and lets head downstairs."

They were in the computer lab in the lower levels. "Has anyone gotten in contact with Logan, Hank?"

"Not yet, they're still trying. Do you really think it was her?"

"Yes. I also believe she was with someone else Logan would identify."

"Who?"

"X-23."

"How... that doesn't make any sense."

"If we can't pinpoint Rogue using Cerebro, even with the modifications Kitty is installing now. We'll be able to find X-23."

"Since they're together..."

"Exactly. We'll find them both. We'll bring them home."

"Charles, sometimes I swear..."

"Hey, Professor. I am so done. We might have to work through some kinks, but I think we're there."

"Wonderful, Kitty."

"You think if we look for X-23 we'll find Rogue?"

"Kitty, I have the most undoubted expectations we will." He smiled at her. For the first time in one year and four months that he was actually hopeful for this lead to pan out.

Kitty smiled and the happiness made her blue eyes glow. "I think so, too."

"If we're headed to Australia, we'll need someone who knows their way around."

"Please don't say St. John."

"Alright then. I'll say Pyro." He smiled, knowing how St. John annoyed Kitty.

"What the hell was that!"

"Just stay down!" A fire ball busted through the front window of the cafe.

"Think they found us?"

"Kinda obvious Ben!"

"Think there's a back door."

"If there ain't that's sucha fire hazard."

"Why don't we find it then ladies."

As they crawled to the back of the cafe, flamed licked at everything inside. When they reached the back door they all gaged and coughed. The smoke was filling their lungs.

"WHERE'S MY BROTHER, YOU MUTIE FREAKS!" Dylan Nash was a pyrokenetic, but unlike St. John Allerdyce, Dylan doesn't need a lighter, match, flame thrower or any foreign flame. The power of her flames are made in the body's energy center a. k. a. the core.

"Why are you hiding?!"

Peeking around the building, Ben seen his sister. "Dill!"

She heard him yell her name. She seen Rogue and X standing beside him. Anger and fury filled her and she threw an even bigger flame towards them.

"NO, Dill. STOP!"

"What th hell is she doin Ben?"

"She doesn't know. God only knows what he told her."

"She jus tried ta turn ya inta a crispity crunchy.... brother."

Rogue swayed and crashed into the wall. She held onto it for life as she caught her balance again. "You okay?"

"Fine... we gotta jus get outta here."

"How, his sister is gonna kill us."

"Maybe... the brother and sister could talk?" Rogue looked over to Ben with convincing eyes.

"Fine, I'll tell her that... Mr... no, Trask is a phony. He never wanted to help, he just wanted... Who knows what he wanted."

"Well if you're gonna go, may I suggest go now!"

"Why don't the two of you try to find so wheels."

"She's gonna keel over."

"No ah'm not. Ah'm fine, go. An you lets go."

"How's Nash doing in Australia."

"She radioed in... she found them!"

"Good. Now all the time and effort I put into that girl wont be waisted. Those stupid doctors just fixed our problem. She has those powers back now, all she'll need to do is find her trigger.... I don't want that to happen, I worked to hard for this!"

"Of course, sir."

"Fuel the Helicopter. I'm going to collect what is mine."

"How are we doing finding Logan."

"Pretty good. He finally answered his communicator, he's on his way back."

"Good, and Eric?"

"He agreed to letting the little Pyro join us as long as his entire team would be joining us."

"So, that like means all the Acolytes?"

"Yes, Kitty. All of them."

"So, where are we gonna find a car when everyone in the area scattered takin their cars with em."

"What about that military jeep?" She pointed across the street as Trasks soldiers piled out of a nice sized jeep with a gun turret minus the gun.

"How are we gonna get that?"

"There are bricks we could use."

"Ta clobber or throw?"

"Both." X smiled an evil and amused little smile. Cute but scary.

They picked up two a piece. They hid behind the corner of a small building and waited til the guard wasn't paying much attention. X threw a brick two feet away from him. The guard was alerted, he walked over to the spot where he heard a large thud.

"Huh... just a brick." He turned and was greeted by Rogue with a sweet brick to the head and... down he went.

"Ah forgot how good that felt."

"Grab the keys and lets go!" Rogues fingers jabbed themselves into each of his pockets until she found the keys and some money.

"Ah got em. An ah got some money." She waved her hnnd in the air.

"Hurry!" Rogue ran up to the drivers side of the car and got in.

"Don't worry, ah know how to drive a car better then ah know ta land a helicopter."

"Lets hope so." The wheels screeched as they drove away.

"Ben?"

"Dill, you have to relax." She ran up to him. She squeezed him so tight in her arms as she let the tears fall.

"He said they'd kill you."

"No! Dill you have to listen..."

"Don't worry, he's on his way."

"NO! God Dill."

"What?"

"You don't understand... He's the one we need to worry about, not those girls."

"Ben, what the hell are you talking about. Did you developed Stockholm syndrome?" (where one identifies with ones captors)

"NO! Dill, they're kids. Nineteen and fourteen, Dill they're kids."

"That doesn't mean they're not dangerous."

"He neutered them. They cant do anything." She rolled her eyes. "Why would he still be after two kids Dill. The older one is nine years younger than you, her family doesn't know where she is."

"Ben..."

"No... you can't tell me he hasn't threatened you ever. Hell, he's threatened me by threatening you."

"He wouldn't!"

"You don't know him... the real him Dill. He's a monster."

"Ben... he's..."

As they drove by X grabbed Ben by the sleeve and pulled him into the car. "Like the wheels?"

"What are you two doing? I just got her to listen." Before they knew it Dylan threw a giant flame in their direction.

Rogue swerved and made a donut in order to be missed by the blistering flame ball. "Your sister is a PSYCHO!" She threw the car into reverse once she saw Dylan running towards the jeep. "SHIT!"

"Stop."

"Hell no. Ah don't wanna be turned into charcoal, how bout you X?"

"Nah-ah." She shook her head vigorously.

"Please pull over Rogue, show her you're not what she thinks." Suddenly Rogue slammed her foot down on the breaks.

"Ben, ah swear, if she gets me thrown in that hell whole again..."

"Don't worry, I'll kill her for that. She is my sister."

"Get your asses out of the car! Ben, get outta the car." she panted for a moment. "Get away from these freaks!"

"You better watch..." x growled.

"X! Chill."

"Ben?"

"Rogue?"

"There's a buncha people commin up the rear, ya might wanna hurry."

"Dill, I know it's weired, but just get in."

"No! You get out."

"Dylan, I'm not going back with those people. I'm not gonna watch as you become one of their experiments." His honey eyes were pleading. "Dylan,..." She looked into her brothers eyes and gave in. She jumped into the car.

"Ya might wanna buckle up, this ain't gonna be nice."

**AN****: I know another cliff. Oh, well that's why you all are so anxious to see what happens next, right??? I still am an evil genius! Mwahahahaha!!! :3 Please R&R. Those who review are soooooooo loved.**


	12. Refuge

**AN****: Sorry it's been taking so long, I pretty much got punched in the face by an evil cold. I've been wanting to get on the computer and write, but I've been to weak. I'm still sick so if this chapter ends up sounding crazy, you know it is because a delirious person wrote it!!! So please R&R, I really do love it.**

**Chapter 12****: Refuge **

The car swerved as all four bodies slammed against each other and the flank of the jeep. There were two hummers behind them shooting to flatten the tires.

The steering wheel jerked out of her hands with enough force to break her fingers. The car spun and nearly flipped over.

"Grab it!" Ben, Dylan and X yelled. Rogue grabbed the steering wheel, but her arms were to weak so X grabbed it too and pulled in her direction. The tire exploded when a bullet pierced it and caused the jeep to forge off course.

When they pulled the jeep back onto course Rogue yelled. "Hey Dylan, ya wanna help us out by throwin a fire ball or somethin?" Dylan sat still until Ben urged her to do it.

"If you don't, when they catch us you'll be in one of those cages too.?" Fear ran across her face as she unbuckled her seatbelt, got up and turned around towards them. Her eyes narrowed and her hands began to glow crimson as the fire flowed through her hand.

The flames grew as her tiny hands were engulfed by the angry red orange blue flames. They grew to be three feet around and began to melt the material from the seat. She threw the flame made balls towards the cars.

One flame ball landed on the windshield of the hummer. The heat from the fireball began to burn the men inside. The glass windshield heated up, the plastic and metal dashboard began to melt. The man who held the steering wheel released his grip as his hands began to blister and burn. The car veered off to the side and hit a dirt mound causing it to flip over.

The other flame ball hit the grill of the other hummer, it exploded as the car rolled over it. As the flames melted the tires the man behind the wheel stomped onto the breaks. In the jeep X hooted in joy as they got further and further away.

When they were several miles away and in a secluded spot Rogue pulled over.

"What are you doing?"

"We gotta change the tire an ah need ta relax a bit."

"Rogue, we need to find a place to hide, we can't stop now."

"How do ya expect ta drive ta anywhere safe without four tires? Ah can't drive anymore anyways, ah'm to tired."

"Where are we going to hide?" X looked over to Rogue for an answer.

"X we need ta get back on the road before ah can give ya that answer." Ben and X grabbed the tire, jacked the jeep and unscrewed the nuts that kept the wheel in place. Rogue and Dylan seemed too be in a staring contest.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." Dylan looked away for a moment, but when Rogue wasn't paying attention she began to stare again.

From her peripheral vision Rogue could see the blond eying her. "What?!"

"Nothing." Rogue rolled her eyes at the blond woman.

"If it was nothin ya wouldn't keep starin at me."

"Dill, could you stop? Leave her alone." Ben knew what his sister was doing, she was trying to figure her out. She tried to see what had happened to the girl, she wasn't psychic, but she was good at reading people.

"What do ya wanna know?" Rogues face darkened. The look was almost masochistic, like reliving what had happened would bring her joy in a way. To Dylan the look was almost evil, animal like. It seemed to Dylan that if she asked about what had happened Rogue might attack her.

"Like I said before, nothing."

"Ya jus like ya brother a bad liar."

"You don't know anything about..."

"Hey, chill. Ah jus said ya brother is a bad liar, hell so am ah. Don't take offense."

"So you get to fight with her and I don't. Thats not fair!"

"Ah'm not X. It's jus a lively discussion."

"What is the little one talking about?"

"The name is X or X-23 get it right, fireball!"

"Who you calling fireball."

"Ladies can we just hurry to change this tire and get somewhere safe. Then I'll let you kill each other."

"Nobody's gonna kill anyone, X! Dylan? Ah can find us a place ta hide but y'all gotta stop goin fa the jugular. Guess what we in this together." Rogue walked over to a tree and plopped down in it's shade, midday in Australia was no joke. _It's hot as hell!_

"Okay, were done, pile in." Ben sat in the drivers seat and Rogue in the passenger.

"Ah jus need ta concentrate an ah'll figure it out." Dylan sighed and flopped onto the backseat of the jeep. X wanted to gut the woman sitting next to her in the backseat.

Rogue closed her eyes and traveled deep into her mind. She knew John was there, when Dylan threw the fireballs he almost let them veer off the road so he could see 'the pretty fire'.

_John, ya here?_

_Ay? What of it. There gonna be more pretty fire?_

_Ah need ta find a safe place ta hide, if ya do ah promise lots a pretty fire. God now ah'm startin ta sound like you._

_And ya act like that's a bad thing Shelia._

_John! We need ta hide now, ya wanna go back ta that place?_

_No. My gran lives in Sydney if ya let the oldie know ya one a my mates she'll let ya stay for a while._

_Thanks, that's good for now._ She opened her eyes, seen a familiar street sign and began to direct Ben. "At the next corner take a left turn, drive straight for about a mile and take the exit to the freeway."

They drove at 90mph for six hours towards Sydney and the last hour they slowed as they closed in on the city. As they drove across the harbor bridge they could see the opera house, their eyes widened as they watched the illuminated structure.

"How did yo know how to get here?" Rogue turned her head towards Ben.

"That's the complicated thing bout my powers. Ah can absorb the memories, personality and abilities of a person and the abilities thing is only fa mutants. The kicker is in doing so ah can drain a persons life energy."

"Yeah, how'd you know..."

"Like ah said memories. Ah can pretty much use em as my own when they cooperate. All ah had ta do was get St. John ta tell me; it's easier that way."

"Like an encyclopedia?"

"Kinda, ah jus can't get em ta shut up."

"What do you mean shut them up." Dylan looked over to Rogue suddenly interested in the conversation.

"They are like... ya can say my other personalities, once ah absorb em they wont go away until a strong psychic takes em away. There have been times when ah slipped an one a them surfaced, ah was jus overloaded. It nearly killed me." She let out a small laugh when she said the last few words.

"So..." Dylan raised an eyebrow. "It's like you have split personalities?"

"Kinda, but they don't get much playtime. It only happened when ah kinda had a bit of a power surge."

"Power..."

"Surge?"

"Yeah, it was... ah don't wanna talk bout it any more."

"How'd you deal with it."

"Um.. ah didn't, the professor did. He got rid a all the personalities an left me with a blank slate, all ah did was start my collection all over again."

"Wow... why did you keep doing it?" Ben looked to see her face, but it was buried in her uniform.

"Ya wanna turn here an drive straight fa five minutes. How else was ah supposed ta help people with my powers?Ah absorb ta help someone else or ta save my self an they compile."

"How could you help someone, didn't you say you could kill... life energy, right?"

"Never killed a person, but the prof says if ah hold on to someone long ah could." She looked down the familiar street, even thought she herself had never been there the memories and warm feelings for the place flooded her. _Gran. _She smiled as she remembered her, no St. Johns grandmother. "Third house on the left."

They pulled up to the large house. Rogue walked to the front gate and remembered...

_It was the middle of may. She was just a boy playing on her grans front lawn. "John come in and wash yer hands. Lunch is ready..."_

"We used ta eat lunch... Ah mean John an his gran, every Saturday."

"Why don't you knock on the door?" Rogue stepped close to the door, she was about to knock when she saw a note.

_Molly,_

_Sorry, but I needed to get away. I know we have our bridge_

_games twice a week. Don't worry I'm apples.(okay) See you _

_in two weeks, don't you love singles cruises._

_Sue Allerdyce_

"Ah guess we don't have ta worry about old gran."

"What are you talking about?"

"The old bird went on a singles cruise." Rogue walked up to the address plate on the side of the house, moved it and pulled out a key. "Ah guess gran won't mind." Rogue put the key into the lock and unlocked the door. "Jus don't turn on the lights in the front of the house."

* * *

"Logan, it took you long enough."

"I know Ororro. Ya ready to go?"

"Not yet, we still are trying to pinpoint X-23, she keeps moving."

"We might as well get going in their direction." _Logan, would you come into my office please. _"Gotta go see Chuck, tell em to get ready."

Logan walked into the professors office, he seen Magneto, Pyro, Colossus and Gambit in the office along with the professor. "Logan, welcome back."

"It was just two weeks Chuck."

"I know. We have a very strong lead, I think we'll have both girls home within a matter of days."

"Days... Chuck, if he wants them back it won't take days, it'll take hours. For all we know he already got the girls."

"Logan, we just need them to rest for just a moment. When they do that, we'll be on the move."

"Chuck, why don't we start heading there now and when ya find em on cerebro we'll be that much closer to them, it'll be safer."

"Okay, ready the team. Head to Hobart, Australia, then move on from there." Logan headed down to the lower levels to prep the team. It was just four of the x-men and the four Acolytes.

"Okay, Storm, Hank, Elf. We're gonna be heading to Australia in fifteen minutes, Chuck'll tell us where to go from there. Ya got fifteen minutes."

When the fifteen minutes ran out, they all got on the jet in uniform with all the equipment they could possibly need. At take off they were all ready, well at least they hoped they were ready to see what they might find.

* * *

As Rogue, X, Ben and Dylan walked into the house they felt the solitude of being isolated from the world.

"Ah'm gonna get in a shower an get some sleep. Don't turn on the front lights, don't make any calls, we want it to seem like no one was here. We can't leave any trace of our presence. Got it guys." They all bobbed their heads in agreement.

"Would you mind if I ate something, or are we supposed to starve."

"Go on an eat, jus don't eat the poor woman outta house an home." X, Ben and Dylan headed for the fridge as Rogue made a path to the bathroom.

In the shower Rogue washed away all the feelings of anxiety, she had an Epiphany of sorts. She now knew if she could get far enough from Trask and his soldiers she'd be okay, she'd get home.

She waked out of the shower and headed to the old womans room. She knew somewhere in her house she had something for Rogue to wear, she didn't want to have to put that uniform on again.

She dug through the womans closet, and found an old cardboard box, in it were clothes from what looked like the sixties. Rogue pulled out an old Rolling Stones concert tee and a pair of bell bottoms. _I hope these are going to fit. _

She pulled on the shirt, it was a little big, but it worked. When she got the pants on they just fit, they were a little tight in the hips but other then that they fit nicely. She made her way to John's old bedroom it was fit for a teenager and she could see that John had gotten his powers while he was here, that story was told by the scorched dresser.

She climbed into his bed and let her head fall onto the pillow. _Rest, I haven't felt a pillow in ages. No wonder why people love these things, it's comfortable. When morning comes we'll head out, we'll go to a place that John barely remembers, somewhere deep in his mind... somewhere... over the rainbow. Wow, I need to go to sleep. Damn Kurt for making me watch the wizard of oz so much._

_It isn't a bad movie, it's just... I can't wait til I get home, I'm gonna watch the wizard of oz with my little brother. I need to sleep, damn train of thought. SLEEP!_

**AN****: I own nothing except for my two characters Ben and Dylan, oh and my story. Remember I'm sick so if it doesn't make any sense blame it on that. R&R!!! please! :)**


	13. Rest & Relaxation

**AN****: Thanks for the reviews guys, I'm feeling a bit better but am still weak. I'd love to be sitting at my computer as much as I did before I got sick, but I don't have the energy. The other chapter took two and a half days to finish, I was just so tired. When I get better I'll be writing like my old self again. Thanks to the well wishers and to those of you who are sick I hope you'll be better soon. Reviewers are LOVED!!! R&R.**

**Chapter 13****: Rest and Relaxation**

_-flashback dream-_

_Another sunny Australian afternoon. "John, you're gonna stay here with your gran. Your dad and I... Susan, can you come and get John?" _

_Sue Allerdyce walked out from her home. Her grandson having the last conversation with his mother. So what if he was a mutant. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her grandson, he was apples.(okay) _

"_Johnny dear, why don't you come on inside an help your old gran." Sue stared into the eyes of his so called mother. She couldn't understand how a mother could abandon her child, even if he was a mutant, he was just a boy of twelve. _

"_Mom... when are you coming back?"_

"_I will, don't you worry your little head John." John stared into the dark blue eyes of his mother. He'd miss her, but she'd be back soon. Right?_

"_Bye Mum. I love you." He reached his arms upward to grab his mother in an embrace, but she began to walk away. John's face dropped as he watched his mother walk away from him for the last time._

_-end of flashback dream-_

Rogue awoke to the blinding sunlight streaming through the shades on the window. _God, what... why does that burn so much? My eyes are gonna melt outta my head._ She threw the blanket over her face and hid from the sun a little bit longer.

An hour later she walked down the hall. In the kitchen she saw Ben, X and Dylan waiting for her.

"Hey, want some breakfast?" Ben shoved a plate of eggs, bacon and waffles in her direction.

"Ah, don't think ah could eat that much."

"Well, you could try." X raised her brows and pushed the plate closer to her. "Sit and eat!"

"Someone's bossy this mornin." She sat in the chair and folded her arms across her chest. "What if ah'm not hungry?"

"You'd be a big fat liar. Now eat!" X walked up to her side and nearly shoved the plate in her plate.

"Hey!" Dylan and Ben jumped to their feet. Since they escaped Rogue and X fought like cats and dogs.

"She needs to eat." X said through her teeth, trying to fight the growl growing in her throat.

"Fine! Look..." Rogue pulled the plate directly in front of her. The food **did** smell delicious, but she wasn't sure how her stomach would handle it.

She pulled her very short wavy hair from her face and smoothed it back with her left hand. _It's just food, it's just food, it's just food._ Became her mantra of the day. _It's just food._ She took a bite of the bacon, she loved bacon, but made a face.

"Something wrong with it?" Ben bit his lip nervously, wondering if she were going to puke.

"No... it's jus... ah'm not used ta...not used ta it anymore."

"If they didn't feed you how didn't you die?" Dylan arched a brow questioning her story.

"All ya need ta live are vitamins an minerals... oh, an water. That's all I ever got. Filthy water."

"Yikes. Thats harsh. Did they do it every day?"

"Nah, they'd pump me full for weeks at a time. It's the wonder diet." She patted her bony structure.

"Nobody'd want to be on that diet, emphasis on DIE!"

"Nice, Dylan. What is up with you? God if mom were..."

"Don't bring her up Ben."

"Fine. She'd slap you." Rogue and X sat back with wide eyes watching the siblings argue.

"Ah miss that." Everyone turned towards Rogue with the confusion written all over their faces. "Fightin with my brother, ah miss it."

"Rogue, don't worry. You'll be home soon enough. Where do you live X?"

X opened her mouth to speak when Rogue cut her off. "Ya act like Logan is gonna let ya leave after this. Ya gonna be as stuck an as smothered as me. He ain't gonna let ya outta his sight."

"How we doin on time Ororro?"

"Good, we'll be there in fifteen minutes. Logan..." She looked down not wanting to sat what she **had **to say "I hate to say this, but... what if"

"No!" His growl startled everyone on the jet, they all paid attention to the conversation now. "She's... not they're doin what they know how to do Storm. They're fighters."

"That's my point." He looked over at the weather witch and seen the fear in her eyes. "They are fighters. What makes you think that they'll let them take them back....... alive."

Wolverine looked out the windshield of the jet as the possibility set down on his chest like ten tons of bricks. "That's not gonna happen."

"You know, you kinda look like a boy." X eyed Rogue who couldn't help but laugh. "A better looking boy, now anyways."

"Why are ya so mean ta me? Ah understand ah don't look my best, but damn."

"You two done bickering?" Ben popped his head into Pyro's room.

"Yeah. Ah think we should head out at sundown." Both X and Ben looked at each other then her. "The night'll give us better cover."

She was understood as they bobbed their heads and said "Oh."

"Start gettin ready." Rogue looked around the room one last time, from what she had seen here and from his memories she knew St. John wasn't a bad guy, just immature.

She walked through the house inspecting, making sure they left everything the way it was. She fixed a few things and headed to the door. Waiting in the jeep, X was back in the passenger seat as the siblings sat in the back. She got into the front seat and drove.

"This part of Sydney is burb-ish."

"What the hell is burb-ish?"

"My bad, like in the suburbs. That's what ah meant." She stopped the car in a crowded area. "Stay here, ah'll get us some money."

"How are you going to accomplish that?"

"Simple Dylan. Ah'm gonna call on the psyche of an annoying,but excellent thief." Dylan's eyes widened.

"You can't do that, it's not right."

"Well, y'all can't stay wearin those clothes an we need gas money, how bout money for a place ta sleep?"

There was silence. The three didn't say anything, they knew she was doing it for them. She got out of the car and walked off, since it was dark and all the nightlife-ers came out to play. Rogue knew it was time to start.

_Cajun, ya here?_

_Oui, Chere. Puis je vous aider? (can I help you)_

_Ah need ta learn how ta steal, real quick._

_Oui! Por quoi faire? (what for)_

_Ya jus... let me get into ya memorie... please?_

_Chere..._

_Please?_

_Bien. (fine) Ya jus usin Remy..._

_Me...Me!_

_An Remy likes it._

_God!_ The memories of Gambit training and learning the techniques flooded to the front of her mind. She walked up to a group of seven men. She pretended to not be looking when she bumped directly into them.

"Oh! God ah'm so sorry. Dat's all my fault." The men picked up the papers she held, that she happened to pick off the top of a garbage can. While they picked the papers up she picked each pocket.

Her hands were agile, they made it into each pocket and found each wallet. As the men handed her the papers she hid the stacked wallets under the solitary newspaper page. They walked away and she walked into an alleyway. She shoved the money in a bag she found and headed back to the crowded streets.

She seen a woman wearing an expensive necklace, she walks past her. The wind whipped the womans hair violently and Rogue took advantage; she twisted the lock, grabbed both sides and threw it to the ground.

The woman didn't notice a thing. Once the necklace hit the ground Rogue went after it. She threw the necklace in the bag and went on.

After an hour of 'bumping into' people she felt that she had gotten enough and if she didn't she'd do it over again. When she got back to the jeep, she threw the bag at X and got back into the drivers seat.

She drove a mile back to a retail store. "Everybody out."

"Why?" X sifted through the bag. She seen all the money and a few pieces of jewelery. "Wow." Rogue walked by, grabbed the bag and opened the door.

"X, lets go. Come on get out." Rogue opened the door and pulled her out by the arm.

"Hey, let go. Someones feeling better."

"Can ya jus go inside the damn store?" X gives in and walks inside the clothing store.

"Pick what ever the hell ya want." Rogue walked over to X. "Ya need some help sug?"

"I'm fine." She went through twelve racks in ten minutes.

"Ya sure sug, ah wouldn't mind."

"Why aren't you looking for something?" Rogue looked down at the clothes, then back up to X.

"Ah'm fine, jus gonna get new shoes. These boots ain't comfortable." Rogue walked up to the rack and pulled a few shirts. "These'll look nice on ya." X looked at the shirts and looked up to Rogue. "Please tell me you ain't someone who loves ta wear bright happy colors?"

"No... those are nice." She didn't look back at Rogue, something inside of X was happy that Rogue did that. She never got to pick out her own clothes, but she did like a couple of the shirts Rogue had picked out.

"How bout we check out the jeans?" Rogue motioned for X to follow her to the racks with the pants.

"I don't...." She looked down.

"Don't know what?"

"If they'll fit." Rogue smiled a big happy grin.

"They'll have ya size sug, don't worry. We jus gotta find it." She looked at the jeans "Ah'm gonna pull a few, jus ta size ya. If they ugly we'll throw em back, don't worry." She walked to the rack and grabbed 24'', 20'' and lower. "Ya small so we gotta go from there, we'll figure it out."

Rogue handed X ten pairs of pants and pushed her into the dressing room. She pulled one pair of jeans on, then another, then another until she found ones that fit her perfectly. She walked out the dressing room and showed Rogue the pants.

"Okay, now we know, you need a 20. Ya small but ya curvy, it's a good thing." Rogue went back to the jeans rack, she pulled another ten pairs of jeans and handed them over the door to X. When X came out she had three in her hands. "Those the ones ya want?"

"I like them." Rogue smiled, already the girl was liking clothes, it was a good day.

"Ya need shoes, socks, underwear an a light jacket."

"A light jacket, it's hot as hell here." Rogue rolled her eyes and walked over to the far wall and puled off a few options.

"Black, blue, green or red?"

"Black."

"What's taking you two so long?" Ben walked over to the girls. "My stuff is at the counter. How's she doing? Why didn't you get anything?"

"She's fine, jus took us a while ta find the right size. Me ah'm wearin somethin already, jus gonna get shoes."

"Okay, I'll be waiting in the jeep." Rogue brought X over to the shoes, then to the underwear section. Rogue looked at the underwear and sized them up with her eyes. When she got to the bras Rogue wondered how... She walked over to the cashier and asked...

"D'you have a tape measure ah could borrow?" The woman nodded her head, reached in a drawer and handed it over. Rogue walked up to X "Don't think ah'm tryin ta molest ya, ah jus need ta measure ya ta see what size ya gonna wear."

Rogue measured X and laughed at the faces she made. She walked up to the bras "Pick a few ya like an find ya size. B 30, okay?" X echoed what Rogue said.

"B 30, b 30. Find something I like and b 30."

When X found ones she liked Rogue brought her and their things to the cashier. "Ya wanna stay in here while they ring me up or ya wanna go wait in the car?"

"I'll stay." The woman was half way through ringing up the stuff.

"Ya really don't like her, do ya." She looked over her right shoulder at X.

"She's fine." X watched as the price went up and up.

"Then what's the deal? Ya like ta be around someone who's more familiar? Well who'd blame ya."

"No, I'm always around people I don't know."

"$415.60." Rogue counted the cash and handed it to the woman.

"Then what is it?"

"Here's ya change Shelia."

"It's, well I don't know."

"Nice explanation. Come on, we gotta go."

Rogue and X got back into the jeep. "We need ta find a place ta change." She drove three blocks east and parked in front of a restaurant. "Get me a... Coke an whatever y'all want." The three went inside as Rogue sat in the jeep and put on her black ballet flats.

She sat in the jeep for twenty minutes until X jumped into the vehicle. She handed Rogue a bag "Here." She was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, black t-shirt and matching ballet flats just like Rogues.

Rogue opened the bag to see a mess. It was a wig thrown into a bag and sunglasses. She pulls out the wig. "Was this really necessary?"

"Yes, you needed hair and I got you some."

"Ah'm not bald, ah got about an inch a hair."

"Just put it on, we don't want to get recognized, do we?" Rogue smiled and put the wig on.

"How do ah look? Classy, slutty... crazy?"

"Try the glasses."

Rogue slipped on the aviator sunglasses. "Now?"

"Not as crazy as befo...." X's face went pale. A military hummer was driving down the block. When Rogue saw it the blood rushed from her face faster then it did on X's face.

"X, grab the stuff by you an get outta the car." X complied grabbing the bags and getting out of the car as fast as she could.

The hummer stopped at the traffic light as Rogue got out of the car. She walked up to X, wrapped her arm around her shoulders and lead her into the restaurant. "Ah'm gonna get us a new ride, jus stay here with Ben an Dylan. Ah'll be right back."

Rogue walked down the block to a parking lot. She found a sedan and walked up to the back, changed it's plated with the car next to it. When she got into the drivers seat, she bent over and pulled out the dash wires. She called upon Remy's memories and pulled apart two wires and used them to spark the engine.

Once she got it roaring she drove it off the lot. Ben, X and Dylan were waiting outside the restaurant when she pulled up. "What ya doin, get in."

"It's a stolen car."

"If ya say dat any louder Rouge gonna get caught. Rogue changed de plates so when de car gets reported stolen dey won find us, different plates. Ya wanna come in, oui?" X jumped in the passenger seat as Ben and Dylan got in reluctantly.

"Why are you talking like that?"

"Mon dieu! Ah mean.... shit. His personality, ah'm sorry ah didn't notice." Rogue drove onto the road.

"Where did you get the hair? It suits you, Rogue."

"Tell that ta my lil'sidekick, she got it fa me."

"Good going X, now they won't be able to identify her by her hair."

"What's that, a jab at my semi-hairless-ness. Low blow."

"Where we going now?" Dylan looked to Rogue wondering if she was going to answer her question.

"Waverly, it's still in the city, but it's far enough from the main population."

**AN****: It is 2:45 in the morning. I'm crazy, I know. Time to sleep now, so R&R please.**


	14. Run, Run, RUN!

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* * *

**

AN**: Thanks you guys for the reviews, I really appreciate them. I'm hoping to get back into my sadistic manor as soon as Trask gets to Australia. I know most of the chapters have been a bit light and feel good, but I will try to make it back to the way I wrote that made you all start reading this Fic. R&R please.**

**Chapter 14****: Run, Run, Run As Fast As You Can**

"Wow, so zis is Australia? Nice." Kurt walked off the jet and looked around.

"A..... thanks mate. This is my home, ain't she a beaut?" St. John began to stretch his aching muscles.

"This is Hobart?" Wolverine looked over to John who nodded his head as fast as he could. "Alright! We're looking for any traces of Rogue and X-23. If ya find any mutant activity, it's likely they were there. Everybody spread out and start lookin."

* * *

Wolverine began to prowl the area. He wasn't sure if the commandos were still here or if the girls left any sign for them to follow. He walked into a scorched building. Almost everything in the room was charred, all the wood and paper. The metal survived as he seen when he walked up to the pay phone.

"Bloody! Bloody... ah fuck. My oldie is gonna mame me." Logan looked over to a man behind the counter cleaning up the mess.

"Hey, you see two girls come in here, the other day?"

"Oy, mate. There were a lotta Shelia's here the other day. Ya wanna specify?"

"They'd ask for a pay phone. One has brown hair with a white stripe in the front and the other has long dark brown hair."

"White stripe ya say? I think she was usin my phone box, trying ta call her oldies."

"When?"

"The other day mate. Once that Shelia wit the fire hands showed up everyone ran. Sorry I can't help ya mate." Logan walked out of the building and turned on his com.

"Alright, I've got a shop keeper who's seen the girls the day before. He told me there was a mutant who could throw fire from her hands, that's when everyone scattered. Any relation Pyro?"

"_Oh, mate. I don't have a sister."_ Logan looked over his shoulder, when the wind threw their scents into his face. He ran down the alley and seen by a dumpster there were two sets of foot prints matching the girls.

He looked around and found a path leading to where there looked like a struggle. He felt his heart race until his eyes came upon those two track marks leading to tire marks. He knew they found a car and got out. But, there were t_wo strange scents, who are they._

He followed the tire tracks until they sped out of town. He went over the com again. "They got out safe, but there were two cars following em, everyone back on the jet."

"_How does e know dat?"_

"_Imagine doing zis vit him all ze time."_

"_It's exhausting mates."_

"Get on the damn jet!" He growled.

When all eight of them were back on the jet Wolverine walked up to Pyro. "Where is the safest place ya know,bub?!" John looked at him with wide eyes for a moment and started to think.

"Why would ya be asking me this mate, it's where the Shelia would go."

"If I know Rogue, and I do, she'd use yer memories ta find somewhere safe ta hide. WHERE!?"

"Well, the safest place I've always known is at my oldies' house."

"Ya wanna translate, bub?"

"My gran, she lives in Sydney. That's a ways away from here if ya travel by car. D'you think they made it there?"

"You don't know her like I do. She made it there!" Wolverine began to pray in his mind. _Please god let them have made it there._ "Storm, why don't we start headin ta Sydney." Storm nodded and the jet took off in the direction of Sydney, 650 miles away.

* * *

"Rogue, why are we going to this Waverly place?"

"Because it's safer then being in a place they'd definitely look fa us. We'll go to the motel by the cemetery."

"Cemetery? Where the dead sleep?"

"Ya got a problem with that Dylan? Ya scared of zombies or somethin?" X laughed as hard and loud as she could and Rogue smiled at her.

"No I'm not, it's just weired. I've never slept by a cemetery."

"There's no big deal, when we get there jus close the curtains and lock ya door." Rogue let her eyes drift to the mirror to reassure Dylan, when her eyes caught on something big, metal and black.

_

* * *

_

-an hour ago-

"_This is where Nash abandoned us?"_

"_Yes, Mr. Trask, sir."_

"_Have we found anything on Dylan, Ben or the mutants yet?"_

"_No, sir. Not yet." Trask turned to the soldier, grabbed him by the collar and pushed him to the ground._

"_There is no excuse! Find them or it is your and your family's life at hand. NOW GO!" Trask fumed knowing that the longer they were M. I. A. the better their chances were that they would reach Wolverine. _

_Something clicked in his mind. The tracking device, wonderful. He walked over to the tech chopper. "What are you meat heads doing?"_

"_We're trying to indicate what way they're going, sir."_

"_For get that. Switch over to the chip modification frequency line." The three men in the chopper look at him confused. "NOW!"_

"_Okay, sir. We are there, what do you want us to do."_

"_Punch in these exact numbers. 2-2-4-6-4-2-8-3" One of the men punched in the number. "What are we getting now?"_

"_A webbing pattern, sir."_

"_Good now punch in 1-4-0-2." The man punched in the four numbers._

"_Sir, we're getting a blip... is this a radar."_

"_No my boy, this is my insurance policy. I was absolutely right to install that tracking device." He ripped his walkie talkie from it's holder on his hip. "Gentlemen, we have had a breakthrough. Pack it up and we will be getting our mutants back within the hour." _

* * *

-now-

Rogue stomped her foot on the breaks. Everyone in the sedan was thrown forward as they seen the scene they were afraid of; they were here.

They intercepted their route. They stood in the road with weapons drawn and ready. _GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. _Rogue undid her seat belt, unlocked the door and threw it open. She raised her hands above her head before she got out.

"Rogue, what the hell are you doing." Fear crossed X's face as she looked up into the eyes of the girl that got her here, got them free.

"X, don't worry. Ah'm gonna give em a piece a my mind." Her eyes were determined, she was ready to pay Trask back for everything he had done to her.

_All of you out of the vehicle._ X nodded her head at Rogue in understanding. She knew the older girl was right, they needed to get a little payback on these monsters.

As the other three got out of the car the soldiers advanced on them. One grabbed Rogue by the wrist. She twisted her arm in the plastic cuff and elbowed him in the face.

Seeing this X sprang into action. A soldier had his hands around her wrists and she jumped letting him catch all of her weight and used her feet to break his shins.

"Grab the guns!" Rogue grabbed the soldiers rifle and started firing off shots at advancing soldiers. X grabbed a hand gun and aimed at soldiers with deadly aim; right between the eyes.

A soldier grabbed Ben and out a gun to his head. "Dill!" Dylan looked over to her brother, a man they worked with for years had a gun to his head ready to kill him with no compassion or regret. _Those girls were right! TRASK! _

Rogue's eyes widened in horror. She aimed the rifle at the soldiers head and let someone else take over, it wasn't another personality it was her, somehow. The shot fired and exploded in the soldiers head as something seemed to take over her, the blood; it was like she was '**made**' to do this.

* * *

"John, this is the house?" Wolverine looked to Pyro for the answer, but he didn't need it, he could smell them everywhere. John walked up to the door and found the note from his grandmother, he reached behind the address plate and got the key Rogue had grabbed before.

Wolverine and the rest of their mashed up team walked into the house. Their scents filled his nostrils, he didn't detect any hint of blood, but there were those two unidentified scents again.

John walked into his grandmother's bedroom. Everything was in it's place, but he could see her bed was slept in. His grandmother was neat, but not in a good way. She was one of those people who cleaned every inch of her house at least once a day and leaving her bed that way wasn't like her.

He walked into his old bedroom. The bed was made and the room was completely spotless. Under his bed, John saw something black and material like. He pulled it out and seen it was a black uniform he had never seen before. He walked back into the living room to hand it to Wolverine.

Logan held it in his hands, her scent wafted off of it. "Stripes..."

"Logan?"

"She left this behind." _LOGAN! -It's Charles. I've pinpointed X-23, you need to be on your way right now. Something is happening.-_

"Alright, everyone on the jet now. Chuck found the girls." As they all rushed out the house, John made sure he put the key back into its hiding place.

* * *

"OH MY GOD!" Ben yelled as the soldier behind him dropped to the ground. He wiped the droplets of blood off his face as he stumbled away. He ran over to his sister and they stared at Rogue, something was wrong.

Rogue felt something surging through her veins. It was anger, pain, hate, helplessness, it all resurfaced as she felt herself changing by the second. This is what he made her into; **him**.

She started to walk towards Trask and his defensive soldiers. She felt it swell inside of her and she began to charge. The soldiers braced themselves as she came charging at them.

She could feel her heart beat six times before she took a single step closer. The adrenalin pumped ferociously through her and burned the insides of her veins, it was changing her, she wasn't sure what but she could feel the change.

Every muscle ached as she charged closer and closer. She couldn't contain the rage bottled inside of her. When she was within feet of the first soldier coming her way she stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at him like he was a piece of meat and she was a starving animal, she wanted to rip him to shreds.

He swung his rifle at her and it was like it happened in slow motion. She evaded his attack so easily it seemed painful. She kicked her leg up and her foot collided with his jaw, while he was dazed she tucked the rifle behind her knee and in one swift movement she kicked it over to Ben while knocking him out.

X-23 stood there with wide eyes as she saw this masterful movement. She was in awe watching Rogue fight, she never knew she could possibly be that good. And she wasn't. Something had come over Rogue, that wasn't apart of her before she was taken. Even she didn't know how she was doing it, all she knew was that mercy was for the weak as Trask had told her many times.

All the goodness and faith she once had, had finally disappeared. She had nothing left. There was nothing left to fight for, her freedom meant nothing since there was no one to be free with. _No love, no_ _family, no friends_. This was it he was going to pay for taking everything from her.

The next three soldiers ran up to her at the same time. She took her rifle and fired the shots into them without wincing or pausing at the horror of what she was doing. _DIE! You're all going to die. _Shot after shot after shot, the men went down.

She picked up their guns and started to fire at the others. She could see the fear written all over their faces so she decided to make them a deal. She yelled at the top of her lungs. **"If you value your life ah suggest you run fa it!"**

Many of the soldiers there ran for their lives, but there were about a dozen left for her to finish off and she wanted to. She was different. She wasn't afraid anymore, she was free from her fear and that meant she was willing to do anything to keep it from returning.

_

* * *

_

So I guess you feel different now, don't you?

"Ya placed another chip in my head so ah could hear ya disgusting voice, nice." Her voice was venomous, the sound of it made her wonder where it had come from.

_I fixed you. I spent a lot of money on you and you just go and start killing my mercenaries? That's not nice, you owe me._

"Fa what!" Her voice roared as she felt the growl rip through her chest. "Ruinin my life!"

_For saving you immense pain, my dear._

"Immense pain? Well, ah think ah got that anyways." She heard his laugh over the cerebral communicator that he implanted in her brain.

_You don't understand being grateful, do you? I fixed you completely, now those freaks back home will mourn you as one of their own and not whatever they considered you as._

"Well, who knew ya could be noble. How sweet." She advanced to ten feet away from him, she could taste it in the air, one of them was going to die tonight.

* * *

"Storm how much longer til we're there." Wolverine was agitated, he paced inside of the jet. He wanted so much to see if they were okay with his own two eyes.

"Ten minutes, Logan. Don't worry, they're alright, we got here in time." As they landed they saw a bright ball of fire headed directly at them.

"Wow, look at the fire mates." John's jaw dropped as he stared into the amber red white orange flames.

"Pyro!" Magneto's voice boomed as John snapped out of it. "The fire!" John jumped to his feet smiling from ear to ear. He waved and swirled his arms around for several seconds and sent it back in the direction it came from.

* * *

Rogue whipped around the corner of the van, grabbed him by his shoulders and threw him to the ground. He struggled to get back to his feet. She dropped the rifle and advanced towards him.

X kneed a guy in the nuts and broke his collar bone. She smelled something familiar, but there were to many people to worry about before she could pinpoint the scent.

Dylan began playing an unusual game of catch with the person who belonged to the psyche that lead them to their safe house, St. John. She threw it back to him with increased heat and four times it's original mass.

John had to brace himself as he began to get more excited that someone else in the world could do what he did at his own level. He was loving it.

* * *

Wolverine ran following the scents of the girls. He seen X-23 fighting three different guys, he rushed over to her. She kicked, punched and dodged hits. When Wolverine ran up behind her got her immediate reaction a swift kick that nearly landed in dead center of his chest.

She turned knowing her her blow didn't land. She balled her fist and threw it only for it to be caught in Wolverine's large hand. Her eyes widened. "Wolver..."

"Are you okay?" She nodded vigorously. "Where's Ro..."

"She's with Trask. Something is wrong with her. She's different."

"Stay here, I'll be back." He ran in their direction.

* * *

Trask pulled out a small hand held gun and fired one round that hit Rogue in the chest. The bullet didn't seem to bother her much, it just made her anger boil over. She pounced. In an instant he was on the floor, he felt something warm and wet under him. He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled them back in a second. Blood.

She walked up to him with a broken cinder block in hand. Suddenly she became this powerful force coming at him, he knew she would kill him because he made her that way. A killer. His new perfect weapon.

* * *

Over a year ago it was all to simple. Get close enough to her so he could slip the drug into something she was going to eat or drink. Her powers would come null in void and taking her from Logan would be easy.

They waited for months until the right moment had arrived. December 18th became the perfect day, they fought and she ran out on them, all they had to do was incapacitate her, after all she was trained by the Wolverine.

He was stuff of legends. If they as scientists could become good enough, they could one day make something like him. He was what they all aspired to create and one up. The original weapon x was something Trask had always dreamed of studying, but that wasn't possible, he was to savage.

He had studied Wolverine and the mutants of Bayville. He found several mutants that sparked his interest, but there was mainly one. A young mutant unable to control her powers, her powers intrigued him. She could possess any power and every power, she just needed control and to be controlled.

* * *

Rogue swung the cinder block and let it collide with his face. She stood over his unconscious body ready to do what every minute cell in her body ached to do for over a year; kill him.

She crouched to her knees and held the broken cinder block above her head ready to bash in his. With a scream she lowered the block with enough force to crack open his head. She stopped a centimeter from his head. She couldn't kill him, but she could hurt him.

She ripped the wig off of her head and threw it to the side. Her short waved blew in the wind as she began to tie him up.

She used the cinder block to keep his feet apart and the rifle to keep his hands behind his back. She walked over to the place she found the original piece of cinder block and picked up another. She walked back over to him, he was awake now and that's how she wanted it.

"What are you doing!" His eyes widened as his face paled realizing he couldn't move.

"Ah'm gonna shatter ya shins an probably break a few ribs. Ya gonna wish ah killed ya." She stood above him in a golfers stance, she aligned her swing to the direct center of his right shin. She swung and heard a loud snap followed by a blood curtailing scream. She switched her position and did the same with the other leg. SNAP.

He passed out from the pain a smile grew on her face. It was sadistic and emotionless. She stumbled over to the sidewalk and fell down, suddenly all that she did tonight hit her. She killed... she was a murderer. He had achieved what he had wanted, he stripped all the humanity from her. She became him, a monster.

* * *

X fought off two more soldiers. She turned her focus to one and the other hit her on the back of the head and knocked her out. When she fell to the ground, the soldiers bound her arms and ankles. They lifted her from the ground and rushed over to a waiting helicopter.

* * *

"Kid!" Logan ran over to Rogue and threw his arms around her. He could see she was in shock, so he held her close to him. "Kid, get up. We're gonna go home." He pulled her from the ground and brought her back to the jet.

Once Wolverine dragged Rogue away from Trask, his soldiers came in and untied him. One threw him over his shoulder as they rushed back to the waiting helicopter.

When Wolverine arrived back to the jet he handed Rogue over to Hank who brought her into the jet. "Where is X-23?" The seven others around him shrugged not knowing, and have not seen her in about an hour. Wolverine ran around with the others trying to find X, when the thought he dreaded came true. Trask had X-23. Wolverine directed everyone to get back on the jet, they were going home.

**AN****: So they made contact, but poor X got taken back. Rogue gets taken home and what will happen to poor X-23? What did you think??? R&R please!!! :)**


	15. Home

**AN****: I know, some of you are disappointed that Laura didn't make it. Wa.... :''( Ya didn't think X-23 could be X-23 without her claws, right? Oh, remember I only speak English not German or French or anything else so help if I screw up toooooo much. R&R please.**

**Chapter 15****: Home**

They had propped her up on a chair, by now she was out cold. She had lost plenty of blood and Hank had patched her up as much as he possibly could.

He sat in the chair opposite of her. All he did was stare at the differences... she looked like someone completely different. Her features were more matured, she looked more like an adult and not the lanky teen he last seen.

Ororo walked over to Hank, who sat intently waiting. "Hank?"

"I'm just watching, that's all." He folded his hands in his lap and shifted in his seat.

"Maybe you should come with me... help with the flying?" Her expression was careful, she knew he wanted to watch over her in case the injury was worse then he had previously thought. He reluctantly nodded and followed her to the cockpit of the jet.

Kurt slowly walked over to his sleeping sister. "Es der bi ok." (it will be okay) He ran his fingers over her face. Tears streamed down his deep blue cheeks, he was finally happy; his sister was alive.

* * *

"How is **it** doing?" Trask asked from the front of the helicopter.

A soldier turned to him. "**It's** still down, sir." Trask smiled.

"Good."

* * *

"Professor, are they here yet?" Charles looked at his anxious student and smile.

"Not yet Kitty, give them ten minutes." Kitty stood in the hanger, she looked like her skeleton was going to jump out of it's skin. _No patience. Don't blame her. _As he thought this he heard the jet preparing to land, also hearing this Kitty ran to the arrival point.

First off the jet was Magneto ad his Acolytes. Next was Storm, Ben and Dylan. The last off the jet were Kurt and Hank, with Logan right behind carrying Rogue in his arms.

"What happened? Where's..."

"Didn't go as planned Chuck." Logan walked passed the professor and Kitty, directed towards the infirmary.

Once Logan gently placed Rogue on the bed he moved out of the way for Hank to do what he needed. Hank pulled out tubes, cords, machines, blood, saline and all sorts of things Logan couldn't identify.

Logan felt he failed. He got one home safe, but the other was god knows where with an angry Trask. He sat watching; Hank pulled out the bullet, patched her and wrapped gauze around her chest.

Rogue was out, but her mind was.... electric.... wired.... alive.

She had **seen** Logan.

It wasn't really **him**.

Or was it?

All her muscles ached. Her body had finally given it, it wasn't going to work again until it had enough energy. Until she could make up for energy lost, she would sleep.

Sleep...

_We're so tired._

Sleep...

_We need rest._

Revenge...

_We need revenge! _

As the hours passed Logan was vigilant, he wouldn't leave her side, he wouldn't fail her again.

Kitty stood in the doorway and watched him. Her best friend was finally home, but something about him was so sad she couldn't tare her eyes from him. "Wolverine?"

He sat with his elbows propped up on his thighs with his head in his hands. "Yeah, half pint."

"I brought these." She walked over to him with food and a shopping bag.

"What's that half pint." His words were pensive, no joy or happiness in them.

"The food's for you and this... this is for her." She placed the bag down and pulled out a few of Rogues things. An MP3 player, a t-shirt and a picture.

"That's nice of ya half pint, she'd appreciate it." He looked down at the sleeping Rogue and his heart broke in half, she would never be the person she was after this. He wouldn't blame her if she left.

* * *

Six hours passed since they were in Australia. Rogue was home with the x-men and X-23 was now arriving at the facility where she would be stuck for who knows how long.

The men carried her in with her arms and legs bound. She was still unconscious, but they were taking no chances, not this time.

Two hours later the tranquilizers wore off and she woke up to the fuzzy scene of a dark dank room. "No..." She stood and walked over to the door, this room wasn't like the other she had been in. There was no light whatsoever except for what came through the cracks in the door.

She felt the fear swell inside her, she wanted to cry, but she settled for... "R..O..G..U..E..." Her voice shook so much Rogue's name came out in pieces, over the past week or so she had gotten attached to Rogue. She was the only person who stuck around long enough for her to begin to like them.

She was still dressed in the clothes Rogue had helped pick out. She still wore the shoes and she couldn't remember the last time she had seen her, Dylan or Ben. _Are they here too?_

She paced in the small dark room. She didn't know if she should scream out for them or if she should try to bust down the door. She lined herself up with the door, she pumped herself up and she ran. When she slammed into it she felt the metal of the door and the metal of her bones collide in a painful sounding symphony.

There was a stampede of footsteps on the other side of the door, X moved away quickly. The door was yanked open and a bright light was directed to be shined into her eyes. Blinded X stumbled and fell backwards as several men rushed her.

One of the men pulled out a syringe with a murky white liquid inside of it and jabbed it into her neck. Within seconds of struggling against the men X fell limp and passed out.

The men wheeled in a gurney and placed her down onto it. They wheeled her down the corridors into the operation room where six doctors and Trask waited.

The doctors rushed over to the unconscious X, strapped her arms on boards and began to outline their plan of action. Lines of ink ran up and down her forearm, squiggles of the ink encircled her knuckles and the points of entry.

When they finished with her arms they pulled off her pants to expose her bare legs. They began to mark her feet; they put a specific mark on each big toe indicating that's where they wanted the claws to eject from. Since they had her down and strapped to the table, they would begin with a simple chip for behavioral modification.

* * *

"Hank?" Logan looked over to his friend with pleading eyes.

"I don't know Logan." Hank wrapped his fingers around his chin, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked down at the young woman in front of them.

"It's been twelve hours.... why isn't..." He squeezed her tiny white hand. "Why isn't she up yet?"

"Her body is beaten." Logan looked at Hank with fury in his eyes. "She is malnutrition, underweight and for lack of better terms utterly exhausted. Logan I have been running tests and am doing my best to help. Her body just needs time to heal."

"How long do you think It'll be?" The fury dissipated and he returned to sorrow. _At least she's her, now I gotta find X-23._

Rogues mind was loud with activity. _Time to wake._

No time to rest.

_Wake._

Rest.

_WAKE!_

No we need rest... NO... I need rest.

_Wake...._

Shut up!

_We want our revenge... Wake._

I will get **my **revenge, I need to rest.

_Our revenge!_

My... revenge.

_We are one... it is our revenge._ The voices spoke in unison a fact that normally would have frightened Rogue, but she knew they were right.

_We WILL! _All the voices including Rogues now spoke in unison, they were finally **one**.

_We **must** rest._ All the voices silenced and let her rest, for when she awoke, she... they would seek their revenge.

* * *

The surgeons covered the inked spots on her hands and feet with iodine and prepared their scalpels.

Within seconds they had torn into the skin, separated it from the rest of the arm and began to alter the adamantium. One of the men walked over to the table with her claws wrapped in a blue cloth. The lead surgeon took all six claws from the man and placed them next to his equipment.

The doctor inserted two of the claws into the left forearm, followed by a small dark piece of metal resembling the behavioral chip. He repeated the process with the right forearm. When he reached her left foot, he took his scalpel and cut along the toe line. He held the flesh open with hooks and severed off the veins and cartilage.

He picked up the single blade and forced it into X's foot. Her body twitched from the force of the 'placement'. The surgeries took just three and she was healed immediately because of her mutation.

When X woke in the dark cell, she wondered what had happened and why she couldn't remember. The last thing she could remember was Rogue, Ben and Dylan in the clothing store where Rogue helped pick out her clothes. Now she was back in the facility without Rogue or Dylan or Ben, she was alone.

She raised herself from the floor and walked over to the door. Her steps were shaky and very in risk of letting her topple over onto the floor. She clung to the door as she felt her legs beg to give in. Never in her whole life had she felt this way, her body had never needed to give out on her, but there is always a first for everything.

She banged on the door until someone yelled. "Cut it out mutie!" She banged harder. "Cut it out or you'll be sorry!" She pounded on the door once more.

The guard got up from his seat in the hall and walked over to the door. He threw the door open and it knocked her to the ground. "You freaks never listen. I say quiet, you freaks get louder. I never get a moment of peace with you god damn freaks being here."

She pushed herself back using her feet to make her slide back towards the wall. He kept up his advance on the small and weak X-23. "Get lost loser." She panted, but she didn't move much and she was already exhausted.

"See, it's things like this that make this job worth keeping." She backed into the wall with nowhere else to go. She stood up and her small frame only reached the point of his elbow, he pulled his arm back as far as he could.

Her mind went blank as his massive hand collided with her small face. The impact knocked her back into the wall, if her skull wasn't coated with adamantium it would have cracked open with the force of the crash.

He grabbed her by the hospital gown she wore and lifted her tiny frame off the floor. She didn't know why, but the room spun in a speed so fast all it was became a blur. He threw her to the ground and she landed with a nasty thud.

She didn't move until she tasted the blood that began to flow in her mouth. She knew that it would only take a second to heal, but when it didn't she could feel a hole in her mouth from where one of her teeth pierced the skin.

She spat the saliva mixed blood at him and he grabbed her by the ankle. He twisted it until she yelped in pain, she had never experienced this much pain before, she didn't understand why.

He punched her and the skin of her face split open. Blood trickled down her cheek and the wound didn't close, she wasn't healing.

* * *

Trask stood in his office holding a vile of the formula that could temporarily strip a mutant of their powers and he smiled. He had made a successful drug to withhold mutant powers, all he had to do is make a few alterations to make the changes permanent and he would reach his career goal. Obliterate mutant kind.

**AN****: So what did you guys think? I wanted to make the story darker again and I think I'm getting there. R&R please.... :''(**


	16. Alone

**AN****: I know. I AM SO SORRY. I'm taking long, so very long. This is what happens when you're fighting against writers block and lack of inspiration. This is the only things that suck about writing. The girls will meet again eventually AND remember I only speak English. I try!!**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 16

**: Alone**

X-23 woke to something that wasn't natural to her, she was in immense pain.

She couldn't open her right eye or close her left fist. Her vision was blurred and her sides were sore none of this made any sense to her, she has felt this was before but the pain and agony of being injured would go away within seconds.

She gripped her sides with her good arm, they were the things that pained her the most. "Excuse me young one." A voice called from behind her and she immediately jumped to her feet.

A growl ripped through her teeth. "Who are you!"

He backed up as fast as he could. "I'm... doctor Steffen, I'm here to help you feel better."

"LIAR!" She lunged at him, but her body was to weak and she fell to the floor. He raced over to her and lifted her from the cold floor.

"Where does it hurt?" His eyes were full of compassion and she could see it, it was the same look Rogue had from her cell when the men were dragging her into it before they broke out.

"Why..." Her mossy green eyes bore into his.

"I owe this to you and the girl you escaped with, Rogue."

"How do you know her?"

"She was my only patient for several months and she let me know what Mr. Trask was all about. She opened my eyes to what was really happening and I would care for her after the operation and the beatings."

X's eyes widened as she heard this man talk about Rogue like she was dead. "What do you mean was?"

"I just... She's still out there and I hope she stops this monstrosity. I know if anyone could do it..."

"She's still free?!" X sat up staring directly into doctor Steffen's eyes.

"Yes, but I..."

"No that's good. She won't forget about me. She'll be back soon and with some help." There was excitement in her voice and eyes. Rogue would get to the x-men and they would come and destroy this place. _She was right about them, they'll come._

* * *

"Hello, good morning schwester. Ve got you some breakfast, French toast your favorite." Kurt looked down on his sister with hopeful eyes, it had been a week and still nothing.

"Elf she's not gonna eat it." Logan still sat at her side waiting, he owed her at least this. In a weeks worth of time he hovered over her and only left to shower and use the restroom, so all in all for an entire week it was about two hours he hadn't been by her side.

"Has ze professor got anything from her about ze X twenty three?"

"No elf. They must have done somethin, he can't get a reading at all."

"Can I get a moment vit mine schwester?" Logan looked like he was going to perferate Kurt just for asking, but he was her brother he could use a few moments alone with his sister.

"Sure Elf, I'll be close by if anything." Kurt nodded as Logan stalked out. He knew that Logan felt responsible for what had happened, but it was no ones fault save for Trask.

Kurt took Logan's place in the chair on her right side. He ran over her features with his eyes, he noticed the change in her features; the maturity of them now. She looked like a completely different person, like one of the adults, a woman and not a child.

"Schwester, je(r) okay jetzt. Vhy von't you vake up? Zis is hard enough, now zhey are afraid you von't vake up. You need to prove zhem wrong." (you're okay now) Kurt reached for his sisters hand and squeezed it gently, it was warm and soft, two facts he never knew about her because of her wearing the gloves all of the time.

He looked at the short hair. It had been brushed and styled, so Kurt knew Kitty had come before to take care of her. The boyish hair cut was odd to him, but it looked nice on her. It would look even better if it grew another half inch or so.

She was still the sister that he knew. **Stubborn**, he figured that's why she didn't get up yet. She wanter to take **her **time and everyone else would have to wait. _Yup, just like her_.

The bruises on her face and body have all but cleared. She still had her flawless skin and for some reason that struck Kurt as odd. _With all the surgeries and all the wounds? Where are the scars?_ "Vhat did zhey do to you?"

He brushed the short white locks of hair from her face, it was starting to look like she had bangs. _Her hair is growing faster or is that just me?_ Kurt caught something in the corner of his eye, it looked like her foot twitched. "Can you here me schwester?"

A happy smile crept onto his face. _Was she waking up?_

* * *

"How are your hands feeling?" Doctor Steffen asked without hesitation.

"Sore. I..." she felt silly saying this. "I hurt all over."

"That's what you were having trouble telling me?" He chuckled. "It's bound to happen."

"Not to me!" She was angry. "I never hurt like this, I wasn't made to hurt like this."

"Made? No one is made... Well, we're made by our parents, but that's different."

"I was **made**." The look on his face was dumbfounded. "In a lab... a long time ago."

"They created you?" Her head dropped as she nodded. "Dear god... How could someone...?"

Rage filled her pained heart. "How could **you**. **You** work for a monster just like the people who made **me**, but **he** is worse then all of them put together. How could **they**!?" She stood and began to pace.

"I already told Rogue why, before the two of you left."

_

* * *

_

-flashback-

_In her bright freezing cell Rogue looked to doctor Steffen. _

"_What do they have on ya?"_

"_It's complicated. I can't discuss it."_

"_If ah get outta here, ah'll get someone to help ya. God my head hurts."_

"_That's the chip they implanted, it'll go away soon enough." He paused momentarily... "I have a sister, and she was... we needed the help and he was the only one offering it. Little did I know it was because of him that Ellie was sick."_

"_How..."_

"_He has engineers working on all sorts of viruses, that's how he controls the mutants. He drugs them, it's why you have no power."_

"_God..."_

"_He needs no excuse! You were absolutely right about him. I thought he was a … good man once. Now he's doing this to an innocent child..."_

"_Ah'm not a child, not anymore."_

"_You may be considered an adult in your country, but we're not in it. You're a child here and... what happened and happens to you. I'll take full responsibility for all of it." _

_Hate filled her ears and she along with everyone else in her mind growled and screamed at the comment. "**Don't you dare!**" His expression brought her back to their conversation. He was afraid... of her..._

"_I feel responsible, let me take blame, please?"_

"_You are protectin someone. Ah can't blame ya." He knew when he was defeated. "If someone were to try that with my brother ah'd..." she couldn't find words, but the tears let him know._

"_Older or younger?"_

"_Younger, just a year. He's all ah got besides our friends."_

"_You treasure him?"_

"_A lot more then a normal older sister." He raised an eyebrow. "We weren't raised together, just found out that we were family a few years ago."_

"_Wow."_

"_Now all ah wanna do is get back to em an them. To Bayville, my home."_

_-end of flashback-_

* * *

"Ve vere never given our time, it vasn't fair. It isn't fair!" He looked back to her blanket covered feet. "If you're vaking up... do it!" He shook his head. "God I must be crazy. I'm just talking to mine self, she can't hear zis."

In the corner of his eye Kurt saw the twitch again. "Are you, please tell me you are?" He moved to watch her feet, waiting for them to move again. He began strumming his feet on the bed rail. "Come on..." her feet were still "Come on! Do it, let me know I'm not verruckt!" (crazy)

He watched her feet not knowing he was being watched. Her charcoal gray eyes opened to a foggy fuzzy room. The voice she was hearing was familiar, but her mind has tricked her one to many times for her to believe it.

When her vision sharpened she seen a large blue figure at her feet. "Schwester, move your feet." He spoke to her feet. Her eyes widened, she really did see Logan and now her brother.

"Just viggle just a little bit." A smile spread across her face as the tears began to stream. If this was a dream she didn't want to wake from it, she was home. She wiggled her toe just slightly and Kurt jumped with excitement.

"You must be! I'll be loud, um..."

"It's not nice when ya try interruptin a girls beauty sleep." Kurt's eyes widened with shock and excitement. He turned in a jerky movement and nearly pounced her.

"You vere messing vith me."

"Ah have to. Ah missed a lot of opportunities." She let the tears stream down her face in massive amounts, she didn't care anymore she was home. "How longs it been."

He lunged at her, letting out a loud cry. He straddled his sisters legs and hugged her tightly. "Almost a year and a half." He heard a gasp come from his sister but he didn't look. _She didn't know how long?_

"Kurt ah'm really...?"

His muffled voice finished her question and gave her the answers she needed. "You're home now schwester, you're safe." She nuzzled deeper into her brothers hug, the warmth and the pure joy she felt was unlike anything she had ever felt.

_**Revenge! Our revenge!**_ An odd and malicious smile curved the corners of her mouth, it would soon be **_theirs_**.

**

* * *

**

AN

**: I know ain't I a stinker. I just wanted to get Kurt's reaction to her first before bringing in anyone else. Pretty soon we'll be dealing with 'THEM'!!! Wonder what they'll do??? R&R please.**


	17. Changes

**

* * *

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Chapter 17

**: Changes**

Kurt choked and shook while he cried holding onto his sister for dear life. Down the hall Logan could hear Kurt's cries and walked to the room with Hank in toe.

They both peered into the room to see Kurt and Rogue in a tight and tear filled embrace. They didn't notice that they were being watched by two joy filled teachers. Both didn't care, they had just gotten what they had been wanting for sixteen months, each other.

Hank couldn't help himself. "Welcome home." The two siblings turned to see Hank and Logan standing in the doorway with smiles on their faces.

"Thanks guys." She leaned against her brother and just took the in.

"How ya feeling kid?"

"The word would be awestruck. Ah can't believe ah'm home."

"Get used to it schwester, you're home." (sister) She squeezed Kurt into another tight hug as Hank left to tell the others.

* * *

The professor sat in his office doing his usual paperwork and phone calls when Hank busted in with a joyous smile on his face.

"You know Charles, having people burst into your office is very disrespectful."

"Quiet Eric, Hank is something wrong?"

"Professor she just woke up, she's with Kurt and Logan now."

The professor pushed back in his chair and smiled. "Why don't we have a visit then?"

The professor wheeled out from behind his desk with Hank at his side and Magneto right behind him. When they reached the infirmary they could hear Kurt's joyous squeals.

* * *

When they walked in they could see Kurt was in the bed with his sister and Logan as always was at her side.

"Chuck, why don't ya come in an welcome th kid home." The professor smiled as he, Hank and Magneto entered the bright infirmary.

Xavier entered the room as Kurt hopped off his sisters bed and stood beside Logan. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay ah guess. How's everythin' been here?"

"Well, we've just been... worried." The wrinkles around his eyes tightened as he looked her over, over and over again.

"Well, ah'm fine now, no need to worry." The professor grasped her hand and squeezed it gently. "So,... where's X?"

The professors expression froze. For a moment all the men in the room froze debating internally whether to lie about what happened or to tell her the truth. "There is something I need to tell you. Rogue, X-23 didn't..."

Hearing where this was going Rogue cut him off. "Didn't **what**?"

"She didn't make it on the jet kid." Logan hunched over in his seat and looked her in the eyes. "We looked all over for her kid, we couldn't find her. Trask's people got to her."

"Yer kiddin right?" The four men in the room shook their heads '**no**' solemnly. "Why didn't ya watch out for her? She couldn't jus take out her claws, they ain't even there anymore. Why didn't ya...?" The tears began to well in her eyes, she couldn't believe it.

"Schwester, it vill be okay, ve'll find her." Kurt sat on the side of the bed holding onto his sister.

"How'd it happen? When, why didn't ah know? Why didn't either a ya tell me?" She started to get out of bed. "Ah gotta find er."

"No, you're getting back into bed so you can rest."

"NO! Ah promised her, ah can't jus let her rot there with him." She fought against Logan and Kurt. "Ya don't know how mad e's gonna be from what ah did. Please! Ah can't let her take the punishment, ah won't."

"Punishment? Kid, what are you talkin about?"

"None a y'all understand, ya weren't there. Ah need ta help er."

"You need to rest. Rogue I know that it is hard to know where she is now, but you need to rest and let us find her." The professor gently squeezed her hand to reassure her. "Now, do you know where the compound is?"

"No, ah... ah. There was a lotta snow."

"Do you know how you ended up in Hobart?"

"Ah flew a helicopter there, ah was jus tryin ta find land an... we crashed."

"Crashed? How did you..."

"She never finished her piloting lessons, Chuck."

"What about Ben an Dylan? They make it?"

"Yes. They're up stairs in the guest rooms resting. They are alright, they've been wondering about you. You gave us all a fright."

"Yeah, fright." She pushed back onto her pillows and the assault of voices and personalities began.

_

* * *

_

What are you doing?

_Let's go..._

_Trask!_

_He must suffer..._

_He will suffer for what he has done to us._

SHUT UP!

_We must have our vengeance!_

Shut up.... please.

_We must stop him, we must make him suffer as we did._

Please, be quiet, ah can't think.

_He __**must**__ die!_

I can't kill... it's wrong.

_He killed us... he __**must**__ suffer as __**we**__ did._

* * *

"Are you alright, Rogue?"

Ah'm fine, ah just need you all to **SHUT UP**!

The professor pulled his brows tightly together and gently shook her.

_They won't see you the same once they know. When you get rid of him you can forget all about this, you can be free once he's dead. _

"Rogue?" He shook her harder.

"Huh?" She looks around dazed and confused. Sher realized that she answered the professors question in her head instead of out loud. She needed to be more careful about this.

"You a bit off kid?" She turned to Logan in a quick jerky motion that seemed neck breaking to the others in the room, plus the loud cracking didn't help.

"Ouch!"

"Ooh, that sounded like it hurt."

"She must need to stretch."

"You okay kid, sounded a bit painful."

"Fine, that actually felt kinda good."

* * *

"What were you planning to do with her?"

"I was planning to get her out of here somehow, that was before you came and the both of you escaped. I wanted to get her out of here even if it meant that I would be punished for it."

"Why?"

"Because your reminded me of someone."

"Who?"

"My little sister Ellie. It's scary how much the similarities are alike between them. My sister has these chocolaty brown color along with her mousy brown hair and olive skin."

"That's why you wanted to help her?"

"Yes. She made me realize the wrong I was doing. She was an innocent by standard in all of this, she was tortured and dehumanized and I couldn't watch as they destroyed her anymore than they already did."

"So, you're doing this for her. You're going to help me for her?"

"Not just for her, for you also, and anyone else I can get out of this evil place. I don't want anyone else to have to be brought as far into this as she has."

* * *

A man sat in a darkened motel room in Brazil. The glow of his laptop lit his prominent facial features. His brown eyes glowed in the blue white light as he got a hit on a signal he had been searching for.

A map appeared on the screen as the signal zoomed in closer and closer to the location of the new site for the X projects.

In the center of the most remote area of Antarctica there was a strong computer satellite signal. He stood from his seat and headed over to the closet door and pulled out his duffel bag. Inside of the plain black bag was a red and black suit and twin swords. He threw the bag on the bed and began to pack for the arctic.

**AN****: Okay, I know it took me quite some time to finish this chapter. That's what happens when you get bitch slapped by writers block. So who do you think our mystery man is, here's a hint. He's a Marvel um... I don't know if you can say hero, but he's a character that has trouble with the black and white of good and evil. Please Review. R&R!!!**


	18. Dead Who?

**Chapter18****: Dead Who?**

The snow whipped by his face so fast that if he weren't wearing his mask it would have caused surface wounds. A fishermen let him catch a ride on his boat and left him on the shore of the glacier of a continent.

It was far colder then he had expected and more desolate then he had realized. There was nothing but snow and ice for miles on end, it was all he could see.

He knew from the specs of the facility it would be hidden under the snow and ice, a very unnoticeable camouflage. Finding it was a different story, it would be easier then seeing it. The tracker he held in his hand was lo jacked to the supercomputer he was looking for.

* * *

"What's your plan doc?" X looked to doctor Steffen for an answer. "How are we gonna get out. I doubt doing a recap of what we did would be a good idea, unless you know how to fly a helicopter... oh, and land one."

"Trust me, I wasn't planning on it." He smiled halfheartedly as he continued. "I was thinking, if you're up for it..."

"What?"

"We could end this, along with the others. I have an inkling they'd want to help with it."

"I think I'd be okay with that. I really do."

* * *

"I think it's time we let her rest." Hank called over from the corner.

"I can't, I need to stay here vith her."

"Kurt, I think it is time for us all to leave and let her rest."

"I think that's a good idea Chuck." Logan nodded as the professor cut him off.

"I was talking about you too Logan. We all need to leave and let her rest, if any of us stay she isn't going to sleep."

"It's okay guys, ah'm kinda tired anyways."

"Ya tryin ta get rid of us kid?"

"To be honest, yeah. Ah need to get this an everythin straight in my head. Ah kinda need ta realize an absorb all this."

"Of course, lets go." The professor looked around the room at the three men and Rogue. "Now!" She smiled as they all walked out of the room overruled by him.

* * *

Once she was sure they were on the elevator she stared down on the think that was bothering her for hours. A number tattooed on the inside of her wrist. '1402'

_What does this mean?_

_**It probably shows who was before us.**_

_**That's a lot of people.**_

_I know. There are so many of them._

_**They have just gone before us, there is no reason to think of them anymore.**_

_What if they need help?_

_**They do not concern us, they will not distract us from our mission.**_

_**We don't always have to think of our selves ya know.**_

_**If WE do not think of ourself who will.**_

_I don't know._

_**Exactly my point. No one will. We are the only ones who will care for each other.**_

_What about the x-men?_

_**They left you Rogue. You cannot depend on them, they weren't there for you.**_

_They love..._

_**Do not fool yourself. WE were there for you. WE took the pain and punishment when you couldn't handle it anymore. WE kept you sane in that house of horrors! WE went through it all with YOU! Do not dare say they love you, they never came to rescue you.**_

_Please stop! _Tears streamed down her cheeks as her eyes flashed dozens of different colors within seconds.

_**They never cared about you like we do. They do not love you like we do. They do not wish for you to be here.**_

_Yes... they want me here._

_**Then where were they for almost two years....**_

She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them and rocked._ They do...._

_**They have a different way of showing it. They will never be here for you like we will, we'll be here forever. We will love and care for you for forever.... They will leave you and forget.**_

Her sobs grew louder as her body began to shake violently. All through out the lower levels there was the ear bleeding sounds of metal scraping against its self as her eyes glowed a white yellow color.

Titanium screws twisted out from the beams and small objects began to lift themselves from their respective places. The color of her eyes changed to several a darker tones before they blended and turned to black.

_They left me to become an experimental play thing. _

_**They don't trust you. They think you've gone mad, they think you aren't one of them. They're still watching you.**_

She stiffened in her seat as the tears immediately stopped. She took a quick glance around at a speed in which no naked eye would have been able to notice.

_**Do not trust them. DO NOT tell them anything. You need to get out of here, don't let them follow you. Don't let them find us. We will be free... free from them and everyone.**_

* * *

The frequency on his tracker was becoming stronger as he got closer to the compound. He was barely a mile away from the glacial fortress and he hoped to find what he was seeking there.

The temperature was well below freezing at -21 degrees and he was beginning to lose the feeling in his hands. He saw a steely gray door in the distance and he began to sprint towards it.

He spotted two cameras on the door, he had to make to the camera blind spots to be able to get in unnoticed.

When the camera he was watching veered over to the right he made a break for it. He flattened against the wall and began to examine the door before the other camera could spot him.

He thought to himself. _If they were smart they'd have motion sensor cameras, it would make this a bit more challenging._

The door wasn't hard to crack, and the fact that there wasn't anyone securing the inside of the door made him more cautious. The inside of this compound was nearly as cold as the outside, at least the outside wasn't falling apart like the inside was.

There were pools of water from the melting ice on the outside. Decomposing concrete and whatever else the walls were filled with began to spill out onto the floor. He was deep inside th compound without anyone even noticing.

* * *

X heard light footfalls outside of her cell. "Doc, is that you?" She raced over to the slot in the door. "Rogue?! I'm right here, I knew you'd come back for me." She stepped away from the door. "Doctor Steffen? Stop playing around I know someone's there, show yourself."

A male voice came from the hall. "Where is the computer system?"

"You're not doctor Steffen. Are you a new guard? Who are you!"

"Where is it!"

"Listen buddy I don't have to tell you anything

He nearly growled. "Where is IT!" He slammed his hands against the door and let his mask be shone through the slot in the door. He seen the young girl and didn't understand until it clicked in his mind. "You don't belong here."

"No, really." She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes and realized the time she had spent with Rogue a lot had rubbed off on her. Maybe it was because she liked her and felt as if for the first time she had a friend.

"Who are you?"

"That's none of your business. I don't care what ya want, I'm ready for a fight. I like the new uniforms, they'll make you look better unconscious."

"You're funny shorty. Do you know where they have the computer at?"

"Do I look like I've been given the grand tour of this place. All that I've seen was blurry."

"Thanks anyway." He walked away.

"HEY! Let me out!" He walked back to the door.

"Didn't think you wanted out with all the attitude."

"Come on... Let me out."

"Are you sure?"

"Stop being a jerk and let me out."

"What's the magic word."

"Jesus Christ!" She stared at the mask where the eyes would be. "Please."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" He broke the lock with one of his swords.

"You didn't have to say it, I did. It was plenty hard." She tested the air for doctor Steffen's scent and began to walk down a corridor.

"I thought you didn't know your way around?"

"I don't.... I'm just following my nose." She peeked into a window and seen doctor Steffen reading a book. She tapped on the glass, he looked up from his book and seen her. His eyes were worried as he waved her into the room.

* * *

"How did you get out?" The door opened behind her.

She pointed to the man behind her. "Him."

"Who are you?"

"Where is the computer?"

"Why?"

"Doc, just tell him so we could get the others and get the hell out of this dump."

X-23, I don't think that is a good idea."

"What would it matter if we 're gonna destroy the place anyways?"

"He might be scavenging information. Maybe it will be for another psychopath into experimenting on mutants. Children."

"Whoever it might be, he won't be as bad as Trask."

"Hey, listen. I'm not into that sort of thing, I'm just looking for information on someone and I think this system has it."

X turned to him. "So... who are you?"

He looked into her mossy green eyes. "Call me Deadpool."

"Dead... what. Deadpool?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with it short stuff."

"I'm **not **short!" A thought occurred to her. "Doc is there a phone on this ice cube?"

"Yes, but what would that do?"

"I seen the number Rogue dialed. If I could get to the phone I can call them for back up."

"If they didn't come for Rogue, what makes you think they'll come for you?" X stood there quiet for a moment.

"She'll make them."

"What if they won't listen? What if she can't? You didn't see her after she went after Trask, she could be hurt badly or.... or... dead."

Her eyes widened in horror as doctor Steffen uttered the words she didn't want to think of. She knew that could be why the x-men weren't coming for her, they probably thought she was dead just like Rogue. "She's okay."

"You didn't see Trask x-23. He openly spoke about putting several bullets through her. He seemed joyous about doing it."

"She isn't dead, she's just hurt."

"All I know is that she did a **lot **of damage to Trask."

"What are you talking about?"

"He can't walk."

"You're kidding right."

"No, well, he has to wait to heal from surgery. She shattered his shins."

"Wow."

"How? Rogue could barely walk at one point, she couldn't have done that. If she did, I'm impressed."

"He said it himself. And I'll quote him. **'That goddamn mutie bitch! She broke my legs. She had a smile on her face too Steffen.'** Personally I rather enjoyed watching the bastard suffer from the pain."

"So, who is this Rogue?"

* * *

It was the next morning at the manor and Rogue had slept. Kurt was there babbling, telling her about all the wonderful things that had happened since she disappeared. She had to resist the urge to punch him until he passed out.

"Kitty took over your guys room and I got my own too. I vonder vere they'll put you."

She looked over at her little brother, she felt nothing looking at him, unlike the way she felt last night. She was happy and furious and excited all in one, she was a ball of emotions. Now all she felt for the smaller blue creature was contempt.

_I need to get out of here!_

Her eyes locked onto Kurt. She knew Kurt was the only one down in the lower levels and she would be able to escape from him easily.

She reached for her brothers hand. He gave it to her seeing the smile on her face, he only regretted it when he felt the pull of her powers.

He felt his energy that was coursing through him flow to his hand and into his sister. The last thing he seen was her smile as he passed out. She threw off the covers and walked down the corridor.

* * *

She pulled on a pair of black pants, boots and a long sleeved t-shirt. As she walked out she saw Gambit and Colossus walking in her direction with smiles on their faces. "Hey Chere, what ya doin outta bed?"

"They're lettin me walk around. What are y'all doin down here?"

"Bored, wanted to poke around."

"Oh, ya know there's a war room y'all might like."

"Ya wanna escort us Chere?"

"Sure." She let them walk in front of her so she would be able to catch them off guard.

Her hands reached up and caught their bare necks, within seconds they were down and she was running to the computer. She looked for the closest icy place to Hobart, Australia and seen only one answer. Antarctica.

In two bamfs she was in the aircraft hanger and jumped into the x-chopper. She typed in the coordinates and lifted off. They were headed back to the place that had turned Rogue and the personalities into one who preferred to be called **Legion**.

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AN**: AH.... I got this one out in the hour after chapter 17. I'm on a roll today!!! Let's see what inspiration tomorrow brings. R&R PLEASE!!! **

**Oh and Cheers for those of you who guessed Deadpool!! Awesomeness. You guys Rock!!!!**


	19. Conflict

**AN****: I'm in a bit of a sad/ crappy/ angry/ just straight up upset mood. I just watched the series finale of my FAVORITE show Battlestar Galactica. I am very upset right now, because I didn't want it to end (ever). I figured that since I was in this funky mood I could use it to make good use of it. Well, anyways please read and review!**

**The stuff in italics are thoughts, kinda narrations done by Rogue from the inside of her head while she observes what's happening. Her questioning if what she's letting happen is right or wrong and etcetera.**

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Chapter19

**: Conflict **

_In a state of unawareness; one could pacify themselves or one might take action against the one thing voiding their awareness._

The small black chopper landed on the pure white snow, now blemished by the metal flying machine.

_Could a person just ignore what has been taken?_

A slender female figure exited the cockpit and hovered over the ground. The below freezing temperature didn't nip at her exposed face.

_Or... could they summon upon unnatural strengths to right what has been wronged?_

The person in the benumbing air was indeed unnatural. Her skin was pale and her eyes were darker then night its self. Not heat, nor cold would penetrate her skin. Not night nor day could cease her mission... to destroy.

_Numbing... is what unawareness becomes. Not able to think or know anything. The ability to have mere human rights is what anyone deserves; they are not a gift they are a right. When man decides that they may take it away, that said man must be destroyed along with anyone who opposes his destruction._

It wasn't like any other day for Rogue. On any random day in her pathetic little life, there would never be even the option to rid the world of any one living person, let alone several.

What she was now was something that was dark, devious and evil; things that she never seen in her self and especially parts of her no one in the world had ever seen.

_When they said 'When there are great forces of good, there are great forces of evil to balance them out.' Did that include the good and evil in a single solitary person? Could one persons goodness become the worst evil they could possibly imagine?_

She made her way to the concrete building and its white ice mantle. It only seemed fit that she were there to end the suffering. After all, this place had stolen her humanity and her faith in those she loved and all other people in the world. It was only right.

The blackness from her eyes spread to her face when she used magnetism to rip the large metal door from its hinges. Red lights flashed angrily as an alarm blared loud enough to burst ear drums.

* * *

In the room with Doctor Steffen, X, deadpool and the doctor all jumped at the sounding of the alarms and warning lights. "Did you let there be any way of anyone knowing someone broke in?"

He looked down at her. "Only letting you out of your cell, nothing else."

"Great! Now they're gonna come looking for me. Doc, you just go let out the others and I'll hold them off."

The sudden sound of bullets exploding from their confines alerted them to the presence of the nearby guards. "Who are they shooting at?" Doctor Steffen meant it as a rhetorical question, but X answered.

"The X-Men!"

"X-23, I doubt it."

"I told you she'd come back." She looks over to deadpool. "She wouldn't leave me here to rot."

"It could be another mutant in the facility, odds are... it isn't her or any of them. I'm sorry."

She ran out of the room and followed the sounds of explosions and screams. Following her lead doctor Steffen ran after her with deadpool at his side. After all deadpool never found out where the computer was.

_

* * *

_

The definition of what I have become:

_Anything which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good._

_Anything which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings..._

_injury..._

_mischief..._

_harm... And is opposed to good, is Evil._

_It is a change that I allowed to happen, that I wanted to happen. It was finally my turn to bring on the pain and suffering. It's my turn to be **feared**._

* * *

She cut the guards down like wheat. It barely took a glance in their direction before they would drop to the floor either dead or dieing. She didn't flinch as blood splattered all over her; not when it landed on her face or even in her open mouth.

_**Hate** is the only word in the world that could lead to worse matters like, abuse, torture... murder._

_Hate is to feel intense dislike,or extreme aversion or hostility._

_A momentary laps in judgment could end any good situation. It could jeopardize relationships and true feelings along with allegiances and beliefs._

_If a single person could change an outcome, would they? Could they deprive one they love of justice for the suffering they had endured? Could they understand? How does evil manifest its self in a good person? Does it manifest its self or was it already there dormant lying inside the whole time?_

_Am I wrong for this?_

* * *

X ran directly into three guards who were ready to fire at the sight of her. In a split second they fell to the floor writhing in pain as they fell in their last standing places. Behind them stood a shaggy haired woman who resembled Rogue, but looking at her it couldn't have been.

There were what looked like black veins surfacing on the skin underneath and above her eyes. Her fingernails were long and pointed, the way she searched the room was almost animal like. Nothing was right about this person and nothing about her screamed good.

Her head jerked in X's direction as she looked over the three standing there staring at the woman before them. Her eyes flashed over all three examining their threats and rejecting the possibility of them being one.

"Rogue." X smiled as she got closer. "I knew you'd come back. I knew you wouldn't leave me here."

Her blackened eyes softened until they were her natural charcoal gray color, her personality was back in control for the moment. "Are you okay, X?"

Her smile became more broadened. "Fine, I was just wondering what took you so long."

Rogue looked around the hall at the men as the feelings or regret and remorse hit her. "I wasn't strong enough." Her voice was dead, full of mourning and sorrow as she counted the bodies in her mind. _15._

* * *

Tears began to well in her eyes notifying doctor Steffen that something was very wrong with her. He seen the inability to be emotional as she killed the men, but now here it was. She seemed lost and confused like she didn't know what she was doing. "What happened to you? I think it was you who said that taking a life wasn't something you could do. What changed?"

"Ah... I couldn't take it." She looked away from doctor Steffen and down at the floor. "he needed to be stopped ah came to stop em."

"By doing what exactly?"

"I need to kill him. That's the only way it will end."

"You can't! It isn't what you believe in, it' not what the X-Men believe in."

The name x-men triggered a latent anger inside of her. "Who cares what they believe in! Who cares about the goddamn X-Men! I sure as hell don't." X's eyes widened in shock hearing the person who once sung their praises now speak of them with such venom in her voice. "Who needs the X-Men!"

"What are you talking about? Their your family."

"Ah don't have a family!" A snarl began to grow in her chest as X stepped back two paces. "I have nothing!" The voices screamed together as the black darkened her eyes and the veins spread more through out her face.

Her nails bit into the flesh of her palms as little pools of blood broke through the surface and ran down her hands and dripped to the floor the as psyches screamed. **_TRASK!_**

She began to walk away as X grabbed her by the arm. "Where are you going?"

"We will destroy him and this place." A voice that was dark and inhuman barked at her in a baritone voice that was not one.

"I can help. I want to help."

She slipped back into control of her own mind and body. "You need to get on the chopper that's waiting outside. Ah wanna make sure you get to safety this time."

"You can use me!"

The blackened eyes shot in X's direction. "You need to get out of here! I need to know that you won't be here for this."

"Like it would be something I haven't seen before."

"Trust me..." the voices came in unison "It will be something you've never seen before."

Worry washed all over Steffen's face. "Maybe you shouldn't do this."

She turned in a lightning fast motion and faced doctor Steffen. "Maybe you, her and him should mind your own business."

"All I've wanted to do was help you... This isn't something the girl I know would do."

"Maybe the girl you knew isn't here anymore... Maybe she'll never be here ever again... or maybe, and this could be the scariest one of all, she is here and she just doesn't care anymore."

"I think you're taking advantage of a vulnerable little girl." Doctor Steffen was talking directly to the overthrowing personalities.

"We think you're just a miserable little human who was trying to take advantage of a weak little mutant girl for your own agenda."

* * *

Outside the blackbird landed on the freezing ice.

Eleven people of the two teams exited the jet into the bitter cold. They all wrapped their arms around themselves in instinct as the cold whipped and bit at their warm skin.

They made their way through the snow to the destroyed door. The alarms were going off in ear splitting volumes as they walked inside.

* * *

Rogue's face scrunched up as X looked to her and was about to ask what was wrong when she was cut off. "Their here."

"Who? The x-men?" Rogue nodded and took off in the other direction and yelled from over her shoulder.

"Get to the damn chopper!"

* * *

"Is she here?"

"Course she is elf, didn't you see the chopper?"

"Yes I did, but zis doesn't seem right. Vhy vould mine schwester use her powers to knock me out zhen Pete and Remy?"

"Cause elf.... I don't think it's the kid anymore."

"Vhat do you mean not her anymore? Of course it's her."

"Nah, elf. There's been something off since we got her home, couldn't figure it out then, but now... She wouldn't hurt ya elf."

They ran into the decrepit building and were on the lookout for what might be their former teammate.

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AN

**: If anyone did notice, I did switch between her accent and her not having one to show the changes in her voice as the chapter went on.**


	20. Point Of No Return

**AN****: Since we are officially on the Twentieth chapter I am going to let you guys in on something. Well, it won't be like a secret, but a Cry for help. I know everyone is happy and enthralled with the story the way it's going, but..... I need to make a decision about the main character. **

**I have a few things planned in my head foe her, but am not sure how to have them happen. My plan would be to throw in another slip of control like in the show, but am not sure how to end it. I've got an Idea, but it would one hell of a cliffie... and some people might be mad about it. **

**I'll explain more at the end of the chapter. R&R Please!!!**

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Chapter 20**: Point Of No Return**

_-Six Hours Ago-_

"_I don't know what you're talking about Chuck, the elf and Rogue are just catching up."_

"_Logan. Something is wrong, I don't know how to explain it... somethings just wrong." _

_

* * *

_

The two men entered the room to see Kurt face down on the floor. "Elf!" Logan ran over to Kurt on the floor. "What happened Elf? Wake up." He shook Kurt until his eyes opened.

"_Vhat happened? Rogue, vhat did you do? Vhy? Oh mine head."_

"_Elf, what happened?"_

_Kurt had to wait a moment until his mind was clear again. "Um... I... Rogue she... vhy'd she do zhat?"_

"_Do what Kurt?"_

"_I thought you said she had no active powers professor."_

"_She doesn't, she can't absorb us."_

"_Well, zhat vas a lie or something. She zapped me.... oh I've got a headache." Logan picked Kurt up and sat him on the bed. _

"_Chuck?" Logan looked over his shoulder at the professor._

"_Find her, don't spook her though Logan, she might retaliate. This makes no sense, I knew it was to soon for her to be around the rest of the children."_

_

* * *

_

Logan ran out of the room as the professor called up stairs for Hank. He followed her scent down the hall to the elevator. He got off two floors down where he ran down the hall to the aircraft hanger where he saw Colossus and Gambit knocked out on the floor.

_He went into the hanger and seen that the chopper was missing, he radioed up to the professor. "Chuck... she's gone. She took the helicopter, I'm gonna head up to the control room to track her course so I can go after her."_

_-Logan I'll alert the rest of the team and have them ready themselves to meet you in the jet in ten minutes ready-_

"_Oh and Chuck... tell Hank that she knocked out gumbo and the tin man in front of the hanger doors."_

_Up in the control room Logan spots Kurt, Gambit and Colossus getting onto the jet followed by several others._

_

* * *

_

On the flight tracker they installed since some of the students would wake up in the middle of the night and go joyriding in important vehicles several years ago, he seen the direct line to... "Antarctica?"

_As he got on the jet in full uniform Wolverine could see all the people attending. He counted off in his head. **Half-pint, Red, Elf, Ro, Cyke, Gumbo, Tin man, Bucket head, Firefly, Fuzz ball and me makes eleven. What the hell is the bucket head doin here?"**_

_Jean looked up at him, smiled and told him in her perfect mental voice. "The professor asked him to come." He nodded and headed for the pilot seat next to Storm._

* * *

-Present Time-

X was about to run after Rogue, but doctor Steffen caught her. "We have things that need to be done, you cannot follow her now. I..." he looked into her eyes "I need your help, we need to free the others."

Knowing that he was right she nodded her head. "But after I go after her?"

"Be my guest, despite how much I tell you not to, you'll follow her."

They were about to take off when Deadpool stopped them in their tracks. "Hey!" They turned back towards him. "The computer?"

"Turn left and follow the corridor until you see a dead end on the left and more halls to your right. Go to the last room on the left of the dead end, you'll find the computer in there."

* * *

Steffen and X ran to the holding cells to release the others who had been captured when they were half way there... "Hey!"

She ejected her claws ready for a fight. "What!" For a young girl her growl was as intimidating Wolverines.

Scott backed up. "Hey, relax." She walked closer to him. "Wolverine!" Logan came running to see x-23 advancing on one of his team.

Seeing her made put him at ease for the moment. "X!"

She turned to see him there claws drawn ready to fight. "I guess she was right."

"What ya talking about?"

"Rogue.... she said you guys wee here, but.... how'd she know. Did you guys come with her?"

"Where did she go?"

"Where do you think?" His eyes tightened when he realized that she was doing what he would have and went after Trask.

"Ya know where he is?" He looked into the mossy green eyes of his clone.

"You must be the Logan she always talked about?"

"Who the hell is he?"

"He's the one who took care of us, our doctor."

Hearing who he was the snarl was instinctively growing in Logan's chest. He jumped towards the doctor. "Wait.... you don't..." Logan's fist crashed into his jaw, then his eyes as the rage filled him.

"Wolverine! No! Stop!" X pulled him off doctor Steffen. "You got the wrong idea...." She helped him up off the ground away from Wolverine. "He took care of Rogue! He helped her get better.... he isn't like the rest of them. Now he started taking care of me. He didn't do anything wrong."

Jean ran in between Wolverine and X-23. "She's telling the truth, all the doctor wanted to to was take care of them."

"We have not idea where she was going... there was something wrong with her face... and her eyes."

"What?" Logan half growled at X.

"Well from a doctors perspective... there were veins showing through her oddly opaque skin. Her eyes were completely black, there was no white of the eye... no distinguishable pupil. It was rather frightening looking at her."

"Are you kiddin..."

"Logan, he's telling the truth."

"Ya sure red?"

"Yes, I can see it now." She cringed. "Something is very wrong.... I think we should call the prof...."

"If you don't mind, we have to free some others." X and doctor Steffen ran off in the other direction as all of the two teams followed Logan and his nose to find Rogue.

* * *

She tested the air and could smell Trask.

"Here Trask." She whistled. "Here boy. Why won't little Trasky poo come out to play." He squatted behind a large metal cargo container.

"Oh come on! You're making this not as fun as it should be. You owe me... this needs to be fun!"

He slowly stepped back further into the shadows and loaded his guns. Her heightened hearing picked up the sound, she slowly and quietly made her way towards the cargo bin.

She sent out a multiple to do her talking for her so Trask wouldn't hear her voice closing in on him. The multiple was on the other side of the of the six thousand square foot room. "So... You're man enough to strap me down to a steel table and let your people have their fun with me, but now that I'm up and around you're hiding in the shadows like a coward."

She rounded the corner of the cargo bin, he wasn't there. "You're such a pathetic little human!"

He ducked out from the other side of the cargo bin they both circled and got her in his sights. He aimed at her as she turned corners and searched for him in the dimly lit room. He squeezed the trigger.

* * *

The bullet hit her so hard she went down. He stood at his full height and walked over to the injured mutant confident and smiling. "I guess you weren't as bad ass as you thought. One little bullet took down the all mighty freak. How pathetic... I thought that you'd be more of a challenge."

He watched as the mutant in front of him disappeared. "Shit.... how did she..." he turned only to end up face to face with the real Rogue and not a multiple.

Her kick was fast and powerful and it threw him to the ground twenty feet away. "Oh, poor little Trask." She walked over to him in a millisecond. "What's wrong.... guess you weren't as bad ass as you thought, huh?"

She stood over him confident and furious. "I have a few questions before I kill you. Do you have a problem with that?" He went to sit up, she kicked him back down and he cracked his head on the cement floor.

"I guess that's a No." She smiled down at him with her deep black eyes. "What was the purpose of not using anesthesia? Were you that cheap?"

He reached under him to grab the gun he hid before she sped over to him. "It gives me pleasure to watch mutants suffer."

"How sweet of you Trask, did you get a stiffie from it?"

He laughed and looked her directly in the eyes. "Now I am.... I usually become more then happy when I get to see what I have created. You are my.... how would I say it... my sisteenth chapel, my Mona Lisa, my Hayley's comet."

She looked around for a moment as he pulled out the gun. "Unfortunately... all of the men whose achievements that I've listed have never had the need to destroy what they had created. I do..."

* * *

She turned as the bullte flew out of the chamber. She went to dive out of the way as it hit her square in the chest. When she hit the floor she clutched her chest where the bullet made impact, on her left. The bullet flowed out of the small wound.

Trask got up and walked towards her. The veins traveled, stretching down her neck, to her chest, arms and seemed to stop at her hands. The black veins seemed darker against her near translucent skin. "And you came in here like you were all powerful, it was a shame, I thought you'd do better."

He readied the gun and aimed it at her head. "Maybe this time, I'll make you better. Maybe I'll be able to fix all these problems."

The pressure of her hand against the concrete floor made an imprint. He fired off the shot less then an inch from her head. The bullet bounced off the floor and ricochet back at him. He ducked just in time to miss the bullet as she kicked his feet out from under him.

The rage seemed to fuel them as they moved faster and hit harder. When he hit the floor the gun fell out of his hand as she retrieved it before it hit the floor. Right in front of his eyes she crushed it into the size of a quarter.

"People like you are what makes doing things like this all the more easy." She kicked him dead center in the chest as the boot she wore crushed the bone underneath his flesh.

He screamed in pain and rolled over wrapping his arms around his pained chest. "Oh, that was sad. I've taken harder hits then that one. You are going to make not killing you by accident kinda hard."

"Shut up you stupid bitc..." she stepped on his back pushing his broken collar bone into the solid cement.

"You should really learn respect for a lady, especially one who's stronger then you." A squeak made it's way through his clenched teeth. "Oh, I'm sorry does that hurt." She took some pressure off of him. "I asked you a question! Does this hurt!?" She stepped harder then before and heard a loud crack under the pressure of her feet.

He screamed. "YES!"

* * *

By hearing this Logan knew he was close to her, if only he could get there in time to stop her from doing something she would regret.

* * *

"Now you know how to answer me?" She jumped on his back. Hearing his pained screams she smiled a venomous evil grin at his pain.

She got off of his back, knelt next to him and turned him over on his back. She sat on his stomach. "Ya know... I got plenty a questions. Like … You must remember, if you don't answer or answer my question properly you will feel immense pain, Okay?"

He laid there quiet as she pouted at the fact tat he didn't answer. "I said 'OKAY'!" She grabbed a fist full of hair and slammed his head into the floor.

"YES!"

"Good! Now let move on with the questions." She folded her hands in her lap and straightened out her shirt. "Why did you choose me?"

He was quiet for a second and remembered the penalty for not answering. "You were just in the wrong spot at the right time."

* * *

She played with her nails, digging dirt out from one of them contemplating his answer. She made a noise like a buzzer and said "Wrong answer!" She turned around to straddle him, pressing her nails into the flesh of his face until she could see the blood pooling at the surface, then she dragged them down the side of his face and neck.

The bright pink markings were followed almost immediately by blood running down his flesh. She rubbed her dirty finger tips into his gashes and took the blood on her fingers and colored his eyelids the blood red from the inside of his veins.

"Oh poor baby, did that sting?"

"NO!"

"Someone is getting rather frisky. NOW! I want my answer and you know I'll know if you're lying to me."

"You were the most appealing."

She smiled an odd toothy smile for a few moments. "Why?"

"Because..." She wagged her finger at him as if her were a child. "You intrigued me. I hadn't seen a mutant that could do what you could in all my years."

* * *

She put her elbows atop her knees and rested her head in her cupped hands. "Tell me about it. Ah've been in this life for my entirety an ah haven't seen or met or anythinged anyone like me. It ain't fair ah.... Okay next question. How long and how did you follow us?"

"What!" She elbowed him in the face breaking his nose.

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

"For about a year, just after the fight with the mutant Apocalypse."

"Ahhhh!" She Yelled. "How!"

"I put some of my best men on you. They followed you through your days and reported every last bit of detail to me."

"What else aren't you telling me?"

"Things that don't matter to you." She thought it over for a second. She stood from her sitting position pulling him up with her. She put one foot behind him, wrapped her hand around his neck, elbowed him in the face. As he fell to the ground she grabbed him flipped over and slammed him down face first

"You lied. Now I'll ask it again. What aren't you telling me!"

She aimed her sharpest nail at the back of his neck and pushed it into his skin. He felt the pain of her nail digging into the back of his neck. "Your powers!"

"What about them?"

"You didn't lose them, I took them away from you."

"How!"

"It's a injectable or consumable formula. It takes away all attributes of ability."

"It takes away any powers?" She twisted his arm until she heard a pop.

"Yes. Any and every!"

Logan ran into a room with a glass observation area of the storage room below. He seen Rogue standing over Trask and he set the blood I the air. He was to late.... or so he thought.

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**

AN**: Okay now that I'm finished.... In later chapters like I said 'I have a problem'. Well.... (reluctance hits me, not wanting to divulge story information.... Cries a little) There will be a definite evil issue going on and maybe some of our mash up team being hospitalized.**

**I AM NOT going to tell you how it ends, either in tragedy,horror, or humor! Mwaha ha ha! You know I can't say much... I just need some Ideas thrown at me for what could trigger her absolutely losing control, that's all! Please help!!! I love you guys, you rock sooo much. R&R!!! **


	21. Revelations

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AN**: I'm just going to get into it. I don't have much to say in the a/n way, but R&R PLEASE!!!**

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Chapter 21**: Revelations**

"So that's why!" She paced back and forward across the monstrous room in seconds, waring a path in the perfect concrete.

"Yes... it was simple really." He began to raise himself from the floor slowly.

_**

* * *

**_

How could he have come up with this?

_Ah don't know... he has a team of engineers, they coulda made it._

_**This so totally isn't right.**_

_Ah know Kit, if someone like em can make it.... imagine what he could do with it. Those poor mutants would be wiped out, before they even knew anything was happenin._

_**That man needs to be destroyed!**_ Magneto's voice riled up the personalities and all Rogue could do was comply.

_Ah can't do that..._ Her voice was small in comparison to the others.

_**Don worry Chere, we gonna do if fa ya. Mon amour. (my love)**_

_Ah can't let y'all do that._

_**We can't let you do that Kid! I won't let ya.**_

_**Sweetheart, you have to understand... we may be in your head, but that doesn't change out feelings towards you.**_ She could almost see Storm's sympathetic eyes on her.

She was so wrapped up in her inner dialogue, Rogue didn't realize Trask standing behind her. As he reached in his pocket...

* * *

From above Wolverine jumped through the glass landing with a quiet thud on the ground in front of Trask and in between Trask and Rogue.

The snarl rolled off his tongue at the man who had kidnapped his favorite student, his favorite young person. "Trask!"

_**

* * *

**_

We will totally take care of him Rogue, so like don't worry about it.

_**Yeah, Rougey! We'll have him gone in a flash. **_Pietro's reassurance was quick and was barely understood by the others.

_Guys, Ah..._ She put her hands palm down on the side of her head. "Ahhhh!" She fell to her knees.

Wolverine's attention shot directly to her. "KID!?" He ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "What's a matter? Rogue?"

* * *

Trask stumbled over to a cargo bin and pulled out an AK47 and snapped in the ammo cartridge. Seeing this from the observation deck Kitty screamed. "Look out!"

Six shots were fired before Wolverine could even turn around. A centimeter from his eye, plunging into his chest, grazing by his cheek as three other bullets headed for Rogue, they suddenly stopped.

Within seconds the bullets were traveling at a speed two times faster then when they came out in the opposite direction back at Trask. Three of the bullets made impact. One into his shoulder, the second into his forearm and the third into his thigh.

* * *

Logan looked up to the observation deck to scowl at Magneto, when he heard Trask force out his words. "How... you can't... it's impossible..."

Wolverine turned around to see these dark waves of what looked like smoke orbiting Rogue as if she were a planet. Her eyes were darker then before if it were even possible, a few of the veins bulged from her neck as the black smoky mist began to thicken and spread.

Despite the fury the personalities had towards the x-men, they still felt the love Rogue held for them in their heart. The memory of telling her brother after he had gotten beaten up popped into Rogues mind.

"_Ah'm gonna kill em!"_

"_No schwester! It vill just make it vorse. Please don't..."_

"_No one can beat up my brother, only ah can do that!"_

Those words rang in their collective mind. 'No one can hurt them, only I can do that!' Pure hate filled her tiny frame as the mist grew in thickness and in length, until it covered the whole room.

* * *

The X-men scrambled out of the observation area so they could reach the storage area. Since the thick black mist covered Logan, Trask and Rogue, they haven't been able to see anything.

"Kid!" His eyes were useless, the mist was to thick and he felt the change in her. Rogue wasn't home anymore.

She reached for Trask's mind using the combined telepathy of the professor and Jean. _**Trasky? Why are you hiding now? Coward!**_ Her words in his head hissed and caused him to flinch in pain at their volume.

_**Why are you even bothering.... You know I'll find you.**_

Her feet weren't touching the floor as Storm cleared the mist with one gust of air. "No!"

Able to see, Wolverine could see the extent of how far she had slipped. The sight of her was almost acidic as they all gawked at the creature in front of them.

Her eyes glowed with a blue hint even though they were all black. The veins looked like they a black blue ink was painted over tracing paper. Her hair whipped in the air, even though there wasn't a draft to make it move on it's own.

Her body was alive and was overflowing with power. When Logan tried to approach her the ground shook violently throwing everyone but her to the ground. "Kid! Stop it, we're just here to help."

_**

* * *

**_

I think it's time....

_**For us to truly be one?....**_

_NO!_

_**We are thinking of the collective and not just the singular.**_

_But this ain't your body._

_**We have shared this body for many years now.**_

_It's mine an ah won't share!_

_**Treasonous!**_

_**Why, you know we just want to help you....**_

_**Don turn ya back on us Chere.**_

_**You'd like let them destroy us?**_

_Ah...._

_**See she can't even answer a simple question!**_

_**You wouldn't, would ya kid?**_

_Ah..... ah...._

_**I say lets not wait to be destroyed by THEM and take things into our capable hands.**_ Magneto's voice was the most dominant.

_**I agree with you father.**_

_**Good Wanda.... What of the rest of you?**_

_**Chere?...**_

_**Kid?...**_

She held the sides of her head as her feet dropped to the ground. "We should have brought the professor." Jean stood ten feet behind Logan. "I don't think I can handle this..."

"Ya don't red, she'll get back into control." Before he could finish his sentence fire exploded all around them.

* * *

The blue flames danced a quick and dangerous dance as they spread their way through the storage room. The two teams save John backed up from the flames. He tried to control them, but the force in control of them was far to strong for him to beat.

"I can't! The Shelia's to strong fer me."

"Ami, ya gotta try again!" Remy yelled over the roar of the flames as they crept closer and closer to the two teams.

The blue fire illuminated everything. The dark shadows of her face were gone as she stood in the heart of the blue flamed fire, not even being burned. If he weren't terrified for his life St. John would have marveled at the beautiful flames advancing on him and his teammates.

Logan tried to get to Rogue in the center of the burning flames in the hottest point in all the room. As he got closer he could feel the flames lick at him and burn his flesh to the point that there shouldn't have been any left.

He reached out for her hand. "Kid..." the flames roared at him. "Come on.... it's time to go, it's to dangerous in here." All of the rest of their teammates made their ways out of the room already and waited behind the metal doors for Wolverine to follow them out.

"You're not like this Kid! I know it!"

The voices screamed. _**Yes we are!**_

"No yer not! The kid I know wouldn't do this... she wouldn't out her friends in danger!"

* * *

Hearing Logan's real voice, outside of her head began to rouse her from the confinement . "Logan!"

"Good, fight em off kid!" He hissed in pain as the flames roared and overtook his arm.

_**Stupid little mutant! Do you not realize that you cannot beat us?**_

"Just let the kid out!" He growled angrily.

_**She is one of us... what makes you think that if we release her personality, she would still be the child you knew. Can you be so sure as to put the rest of your pathetic little team at risk. **_They waved their hand and Kurt was suddenly in the blistering flames with them.

"What are ya doing!?"

"Ow! Zhat is to... OW!"

"Kid... look what they're doing to your brother! Don't let em!"

* * *

With another wave of their hand Jean suddenly was in the heart of the fire with them. Logan watched as her skin bubbled and blistered from the bright blue fire. From outside the only thing the others could do was restrain Scott as he tried to run in to save his love from Legion. "JEAN!"

The tears trickled down Scott's cheeks. As the others tried to think of something they could do to help Kurt and Jean.

"Look what they're doin to your friends kid! I know you're stronger than this! LOOK AT THEM!"

Their head jerked in Kurt's direction, then looked down at Jean's bubbling skin. "J... j... Jean... ah'm."

In a matter of milliseconds Jean and Kurt disappeared. "What did you do to em!"

"Logan!" Storm yelled from the hall. "They're here!"

* * *

Colossus and Hank ran back to the jet with the two severely burned teammates. Hank yelled from over his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of them!"

Scott had Trask by the shoulders. His fist slammed into his, jaw, eye and stomach. "Look what you've done! You son of a..."

"Scott! NO!"

St. John and Kitty grabbed Trask. John brought him over to a wall and Kitty phased him half way into it. "We've got to figure something out!"

"Kitty, what are you talking about?" Storm was worried about what Kitty was thinking of doing.

"We can't leave Wolverine in there all by himself!"

"You forget Kit, he's the only one who'll be okay if they get burned." Scott's voice was angry and helpless.

"We have to do something, you guys."

"We can't Kitty, it's to dangerous for us. We must let Logan do this."

"I can't!" Kitty ran and phased through the wall into the inferno. All she knew was, if she kept phasing she couldn't get burned, right?

**

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AN**: So what'd ya think? I know this one is short, but I gotta leave it suspenseful. I know what I'm going to do now so all you guys gotta do is read. Thanks for the suggestions and Reviews I love when you guys talk back. Tell me what you like and don't like. Please R&R!**


	22. Control

**AN**** I hope you all are enjoying this, I know I am. Remember that italics are thoughts and/or radio transmissions. As always reviewers are loved and appreciated, so please Read and Review.**

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Chapter 22

**: Control**

"Half- pint! What the hell are ya doin in here?" The fire roared and flared right through Kitty.

"You need help... What was I supposed to do?"

"Get the hell out of here!"

The flames glowed indigo as the control of the flames began to slip. They nipped at the ceiling and covered the walls. The fire stretched beyond the walls into the hall where the others were.

* * *

"Oh!" The others turned around. The fire was spreading and they were running out of options. "If you would let my arm free, I could stop her."

All heads turned in Trask's direction. "Like we would let a monster like you out." Scott tried to hold back his pain. "This is all because of you!"

"Scott, that is enough. You!" Storm points at Trask. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled. "If you let my arm free, I can stop her."

All of the people in the room stared at him and almost growled in unison. "HOW!"

"Let my hand go and I'll stop her dead in her tracks."

They were all curious... They wondered if he could really do it or if he was trying to con his way out of his holds. "How would you be able to stop her, if we let you out?"

"I have a remote that can control her actions. Like I said, it will stop her dead in her tracks. She won't be able to override it."

"Storm?"

"Stormy?"

"Ms. Munroe... this is your decision?"

Any of the people could see the conflict arising in her mind. Scott walked over to her. "Storm? Whatever you think, we'll back it all the way."

"I think that I cannot let her hurt anyone else, but... that man." Storm walked away from Scott for a moment to think. "We will get your arm free... Only and only if you give me the control."

"How would you know what to do?"

"I'd figure it out." Storm connected the frequency of her communicator to Kitty. _-You need to get back_ _here-_

From inside the inferno Kitty heard the command. _-I can't!-_

_-We have a way to stop her from hurting anyone-_

_-How?-_

_-All you need to do is phase one of Trask's arms out of the wall so I can retrieve a controller-_

_-NO!-_

_-Kitty!-_

_-Scott calm yourself- _Storm realized Scott had conferenced in on the conversation.

_-Scott?-_

_-You need to do this! Rogue needs help and so do we. If we get the control, we can stop her and every thing will be fine.... We'll be able to get her back home to the professor for help. Kit you have to do this-_

Kitty battled the idea of using one of Trasks' implants on her, to stop her. Despite how she hated the idea, she knew it would help until they got back home to the professor.

Kitty ran out of the flames to Wolverine's relief. She ran back into the burning hall. The fire was spreading, since it was a very old building it would catch entirely on fire within a very short amount of time.

Kitty stood in front of Trask and Storm. "I don't like this, but... if it can help..." She pulled his arm free and didn't notice until it was to late, he had nearly thrown himself from the wall.

All who were present were horrified. "Hand over the control Trask!"

Everyone around him tensed, they fought back the urge to rip him to pieces. Magneto used his abilities to pull the remote from his hand only to see that a button had been pressed.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!" They all screamed in unison.

* * *

Suddenly the flames stopped...

_What could ah have done? There wasn't a thing ah could have done to stop this.... Why did ah let this happen?_

_If ah had stopped them... we'd all be safe, but now..._

_It's to late..._

* * *

The charred walls and floors were black and crumbling. They all walked into the smoking storage room to see Logan on the floor holding her. She couldn't move, and she couldn't barely breathe.

Storm stopped and knelt in front of them, Logan handed Rogue over to her. The growl vibrated inside his chest. "Trask!"

He shot forward. He speared Trask with enough force to knock him out. His claws ejected directly in front of his throat. His middle claw was touching Trask's Adams apple and it began to bleed. "Tell us how to fix it!" His voice was calm, but threatening.

"Oh, Wolverine... How do you know I'll tell you the truth?"

"If you don't want to die right now, you better."

"And what leverage will I have if I tell you?" Their eyes shot directly to Logan who was straddling Trask.

"You'll still be alive!" He snarled and pressed the claws closer to Trask's neck.

"That's not good enough." He smiled and pressed the back of his head to the charred concrete.

Kitty quickly thought of a plan. "We'll let you go." All eyes shot to her.

"I don't believe you."

"Why not, we're the good guys if you forget."

His smile grew. "Deal. Now get off of me."

The look on Wolverine's face was pure animalistic fury and there was a feral murderous glint in his eyes. "Half- pint!" He got up and raced over to Kitty. "What the hell are ya thinking!"

"Trust me will you?"

"How do you do it!" His growl was humming through him making him shake with anger.

"It's in a sequence... there are buttons on the control going from zero to nine. Punch in -twelve- nine- fourteen- and eight- That will let her breathe and act normally."

Magneto punched in the numbers quickly and she began to breathe normally and move. Storm wrapped her arms around Rogue and rock her gently.

* * *

Burnt and charred remains of storage crates began to raise into the air. "Liar! Wolverine whipped around and charged at Trask. In a flash Rogue rose from the floor and stood protectively in front of Trask.

"Wolverine! What did you think? Did you think I'd let you best me?"

Every which way he tried to pass her, Rogue was faster and blocked his path to Trask. "What are ya doing kid?"

"She can't answer you. The good thing about the implant..." he chuckled. "I have full control over whatever she does, she can't even take a breath without me letting it happen." He walked up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "She is what science is all about, the perfect specimen. I'm very proud."

He whispered in her ear. "Why don't we show your former family how we get things done here, Rogue?" His smile broadened "Kill those who won't benefit our program!"

He walked away into the hall as Rogue stood there to defend her master. The flames roared and covered every doorway and any exit out of the inferno. "Kid!"

_

* * *

_

It was like ah just sat back and watched as a foreign form began attacking my family...

_There was no way to snap myself out of this one, ah couldn't control anything ah did, all ah could do was sit and watch in the darkness of my mind with all the others gathering around me furious... _

_What could ah have done..._

_The flames weren't even the threat, ah was. Using the implant, he unlocked what ah couldn't find to be able to control my powers. He must have known that if he could unlock what kept me from control he could get me to do whatever he wanted, lord knows ah had enough raw power inside of me._

_They didn't charge at me. Ah could see in their eyes that they didn't want to attack me, but they needed to. Ah began to fling the charred remains of cargo bins at them, which wasn't safe. There was broken glass and snapped metal bands that could flay their skin right off of their bodies._

_Most of them ducked out of the way, but poor Scott got hit in the face by the debris and it knocked his visor off causing him to blast everyone off their feet._

* * *

The dust began to settle and everyone was on the floor. Everyone was hurt and clutching on to some body part. Scott began to feel around the floor for his glasses as Kitty crawled to him and handed him his cracked visor.

Blood trickled down the side of Kitty's head as she put the visor in it's place. "Are you like okay Scott?"

"I'm good Kitty... ah!" He reached up to his head only to feel something warm and thick. His hand traveled to the place where he was hit by the debris. There was a deep gash and the spot on his skull felt to soft.

From the distance they heard Logan yell. "Everyone alright!?"

"Yes!"

"Yea!"

"Maybe mates!"

"Oui!"

"Half- pint, Cyclops!"

Kitty yelled back at him. "Yeah... were okay!"

_

* * *

_

Ah could smell the blood and feel the fear in the room, even though ah wasn't in control it was intoxicating. My heart pounded and the growing claws on my fingers bit into my hands, there was exciting feeling their fear.

_The smoke couldn't cloud my vision, my vision was perfectly clear. It was sharper then ah remembered, ah had always needed to wear contacts. The only person who knew was Kitty and she never said anything._

_They all squinted and tried to see through the smoke, they wondered where ah was. Ah stalked them slowly but surely getting closer and closer. They would hear me deliberately crunch down on something and they would turn and ah would see the fear in their eyes._

_Ah wasn't in control and the longer ah wasn't the more ah didn't mind it._

* * *

She walked up behind the Louisiana native. Gambit was unaware of her being behind him. He sensed something, maybe it was the void of emotions with a trace of horror all through out it.

He spun around only to see the dark black smoke. Soon a shape formed in the smoke and he readied himself for her attack. He pulled out his BO staff, he knew he didn't want to hurt her, but she wasn't in control of herself anymore Trask was.

* * *

Trask stepped into the observation room above the storage room to watch over calamity he had created. Little did he know someone stood behind him. He had been watching this chaos for a while now, seeing how this man had absolute control of the young mutant girl who's appearance had freaked him out earlier in the day.

"All the stupid little mutants will be gone soon, what will be left are the useful ones. And of course Wolverine."

The man walked just behind him Trask to hear him continue on. "I just need to...."

He covered Trask's mouth with his hand and pulled out his sword. "People like you are what makes my job worth while."

Trask had to think fast before this man would kill him. "Who are you?" He pulled the remote out of his pocket and pressed a large oval button.

* * *

She got close enough to Gambit in the smoke he could see her features clearly. "Chere? Remy know ya ain't yaself right now, but Remy don wanna hurt ya petite."

She stepped closer to him. "Chere, ya don wanna hurt dis Cajun, do ya?"

_No I don't... you need to run Rem! RUN!_ She crouched down to pounce, when a blank look wiped out the ravenous look on her face. She sprinted out of the room in a blur.

* * *

"You can call me deadpool."

"And what do you want mister deadpool?"

"Nothing in particular."

"So what will it take for you to let me go?"

"You could give me the remote."

Trask smiled. "I had a feeling you were with Wolverine."

"I'm not... I just want the remote." Within a second Rogue stood in the doorway.

"I don't think I can do that. Rogue, will you take care of mister deadpool for me?"

"Of course I will mister Trask, sir."

She ran as fast as she could towards deadpool. He jammed the sword into Trasks back and he dropped the remote. Deadpool picked up the remote with the sword and pressed the oval button. She stopped dead in her tracks less then five inches away from him.

* * *

Back in the storage room, Storm whipped up a strong wind to clear the suffocating smoke. They all looked around to find Rogue, but she was nowhere in sight.

Now released from the control of the chip, the personalities gripped the control again and they threw both Trask and Deadpool through the the observation window.

She followed floating down with a black fog surrounding her. A lightning bolt shot out from her hand at Trask. The others rushed forward towards her. "Kid don't do this."

She threw another bolt directly at Wolverine. On impact anyone in the room could hear the sizzle and could smell the burning flesh. "Don't make us hurt ya kid! You know we don't want to."

* * *

The floor began to quake, throwing all who could not fly or phase to the ground. "Rogue you are not like this... we know you, you'd never hurt us. Please stop."

Kitty gripped her head and fell to the shaking ground as they yelled. _**Silence! **_The floor shook more violently.

The intensity inside of Kitty's head made her scream. "Rogue please stop this! Please it hurts."

Something clicked inside of her brain, hearing the screams of pain coming from her best friend. There was a dazed look on her face. "Kit...?" Her body began to sway as she let up on the intensity and stopped the ground from quaking. "Ah'm sorry."

Legion gripped control from Rogue again. _**You must all suffer.**_

The ground shook more violently then before and the intensity grew inside of Kitty's head so much her ears began to bleed. Pieces of the ceiling began to crumble and fall down, the structure was going to fall on them if they didn't get out of there.

Kitty was lying on the floor in a crumpled mess. As others tried to get to her, Legion would swat them away like flies. The intensity inside of Kitty's head grew so much that a blood curtailing scream escaped her clenched teeth.

This angered Rogue and she used all the energy she had to gain control again. When Kitty stopped screaming all attention was directed to Rogue.

"Kid?" Her body shook violently as she crumpled to the floor. The others ran over to Kitty and scooped her up. Pyro was ordered to bring Kitty to the jet so she could be cared for and to prevent her from being a target for Legion.

Wolverine carefully walked over. "Kid...?" He reached down to her. Blood began to pour from every orifice on her face and the new perforations created by Trask and his bullets. "Ro..."

Her head whipped up to look at him. There was a battle between her natural charcoal and the black that had taken over her eyes. "Logan...." a shriek escaped her and everyone in the room had to cover their ears to protect themselves from the high pitched shriek.

"HELP ME!" Her voice was gruff, you could hear the other voices fighting for control. The sounds mixed and became this deep chaotic chorus.

* * *

Her body began to pulse as she bent over to hold herself. Her entire shape began to contort as it pulsed faster. Her mass grew larger then smaller in a split second. She grew and shrank. All could hear the sounds of her bones cracking and reshaping as her body pulsed faster.

They all could see parts of themselves forming in her.

The ground began to shake again as debris floated into the air and the floor lit on fire. The metal and cement walls began to contract as pieces began to fall to the floor as the men and woman ran out of the way.

A piece of the structure that hung above Rogue was loose and was hit by a piece of flying debris. It plummeted down to the ground where Rogue clung to herself unaware.

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AN **What did you guys think??? I needed to put in a cliffie just for this. Mwaha ha ha. I am loving where this story is headed and I'm loving writing for a darker Rogue then most people explore. Please read and review, I need them or else I'll die. :''(**


	23. Choices

**AN****: Okay, I'm done!! XD Sorry it took so long, I wanted to take some time off for my birthday. As always italics are for thoughts and radio transmissions. AND!!!! Reviewers are very appreciated &&& LOVED!! R&R please. **

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Chapter 23

**: Choices **

"Move!" Wolverine yelled from his safe place to Rogue.

She didn't know what was happening, she couldn't hear him. All she heard was the noise in her head.

Trask hid behind what was left of a cargo container as his smile grew knowing what would come of the mutant freaks. The compound would cave in on them and they would all die.

He salivated over the idea of them being crushed to death, but he was slightly upset about how much he would actually lose if his life's work died in such a a horrible way. At least he'd have enough DNA to clone her.

The giant piece of concrete and steel fell form it's form down towards the oblivious girl on the floor. "Move your ass, kid!"

_

* * *

_

It was like it happened in slow motion.

_Logan ran over to me from his safe spot, but there was no use, the giant piece of debris was two seconds from flattening us._

_As he crashed into me the metal and concrete bulk was about to obliterate us._

_It pressed against his back as he tried to get me outta the way. We were done for..._

_Ah could feel everyone around us, it was the strangest feeling. Their hearts stopped and they held their breath. We must have been dead._

_Once I felt the pressure of the bulk on top of me on top of him, all that was left was the darkness...._

* * *

All who were left ran over to them within seconds of the debris falling on top of them. "Logan! Rogue...!"

"Chere! Loup...?" (wolf)

"Oh god.... Storm!" She turned to Scott. "Radio Hank and Colossus. Tell them to get here five minutes ago."

-_Beast! Beast this is Storm, you and Colossus need to get back here. 911!-_

Hank responded that him and Colossus were on their way and were leaving St. John there to watch their injured teammates.

Magneto began to lift the debris off of them. For several moments until Hank and Colossus arrived, then he lifted it completely off of them.

To his surprise and all the others..... No one was there.

* * *

X and doctor Steffen ran around the cell blocks freeing all captive mutants and telling them their were aircrafts outside waiting for them.

Her claws ripped through the flimsy metal and gave each of the mutants their freedom. "That was ten right?"

"Yes, but...." She looked at him with strain in her eyes. She wanted to help those who needed her and she wanted to go help the others with Rogue, but she knew that these people needed her more than the others.

As they made it outside into the freezing air they spotted the jet and the helicopter.

X loaded everyone onto the jet when she saw two dark masses in the pure white snow. "What is that...?"

"Hey there little Shelia." John distracted her from what she had seen in the snow.

"My name isn't Shelia!"

"No... that's not what I meant.... oh never mind."

She looked to see the three injured people propped up on the chairs. "What happened to them?"

"She went nuts. She burnt these two" He pointed at Kurt and Jean. "An she did something to this little Shelia with er mind. I'd say she went cuckoo bananas."

X looked at doctor Steffen.... "I have to..."

_

* * *

_

-Pyro.... come in Pyro, it's Storm-

_-Yo it's Pyro, give it a go-_

_-They're gone-_

_-What you talking about Shelia?-_

_-Rogue and Wolverine.... A piece of debris fell on them and now they're gone-_

_-Dead as in gone-_

_-No! We lifted the debris and expected to see them crushed to death, but nothing was there-_

_-That's a relief then-_

_-Are the others alright?-_

_-Yea, fine. Will I be put back into the action or will I be stuck babysittin-_

_-Radio the professor, he'll know what to do-_

John walked over to the control panel of the jet and flicked a few switches. _-Hello.... um... Xavier it's...-_

_-What's going on John?-_

_-Hey, how'd ya know...-_

_-This is not the time-_

_-Oh, come one-_

_-Fine... you're the only one with that accent-_

_-Oh... duh!-_

_-Is everything alright?-_

_-Um... no, not really-_

X stood there watching as St. John reiterated the story to the professor as she saw the two masses moving."Uh... guys..." Doctor Steffen turned to her while St. John blabbed on. "That thing in the snow is ...moving."

All of the mutants inside of the warm jet watched as two dark masses emerged from the snow. X turned to John. "Hey, you! You better tell the others to get here quick before that does." She pointed at the dark massesheaded their way.

_-Um... Xavier, I'll have ta call ya back-_

* * *

The bright white snow covered her eyes._ How'd ah get here._

Her body was weak ant the light reflecting off of the snow made it very hard to see. The noise in her head was at its worst. Suddenly the worst case of vertigo set in, even though she wasn't afraid of heights.

Instead of standing at her full height to walk away she fell back onto her knees and grasped the snow as it melted in her hands. **_Traitor!_**

"Ah didn't do anything wrong..."

Hearing her voice roused Logan from his unconsciousness.

_**Lies...**_ The ground began to quake.

"No...ah swear... stop!"

Logan lifted his face from the snow to see Rogue on her knees in the snow rocking back and forward.

"Ah wouldn't... please." Tears began to pour from her eyes. "It hurts please stop..."

The ground shook more violently until a fissure appeared in the snow. It grew and grew until it was ten feet from the jet. _**Because of your treachery you must be punished. They will pay for what you have done. **_

The fissure grew and the jet began to fall into the narrow crevice. "No!" She went to run, but the intensity in her head grew. They were using what they did on Kitty to her now, the gloves were off.

Her ears began to bleed as she heard the screaming from the inside of the jet's cabin. _Please stop, they didn't do anythin..._

_**They will suffer all because of you... **_

* * *

The others ran out of the building to see the jet going down into the ice. They all ran towards it as Wolverine dug his feet into the ice and tried to stop it from falling in all of the way.

They all tried to do whatever they could to save the others, but Legion voided their attempts and they slipped deeper and deeper into their ice coffin.

_**If you let them fall consider your treachery undone... **_She looked at them horrified, she couldn't... could she?

_**They are not worthy of what we can do... they'll try to stop us, you must let them go.**_

Rage and grief filled her heart. She didn't know what she should do when their words rung in her head like they would in an empty room.

_They are not worthy..._

_of what we can do..._

Her mind flashed to several years past....

Flashes of their months under the pressure of Apocalypse.

Un-tombing him... hiding... Fighting and her last moments with him before she locked him in his tomb like their ancestors before her.

_**Un-worthy...**_

_**They're unworthy... **_

"No..."

_**What are you saying.... are you going against us again!?**_

"Ah can't let you do this.... Ah won't!" X ejected her claws and tried to rip the side of the jet open, but when her claws just touched the metal of the cabin they twisted and bent.

Pyro lit his butane tank and tried to blast through the wall when the fire shot back at him and anyone else in the jet.

The jet slid into the crevice as they all watched in horror. "NO!"

* * *

She felt something build inside of her as they all got closer and closer to their deaths. She didn't know if it was her losing her control and lucidity, but something was going to happen, she knew it.

She could still hear their screams even though they were nearly a mile down as the top layer of the ice closed its self.

Her insides tightened and whatever was inside came out in an explosion. A bright green light blinded everyone including her, no one could see, but they heard a loud crash that sounded like glass breaking.

Her heart pounded and her hands numbed as this green light enveloped her in love and safety... for some reason it felt completely right and she knew exactly what she needed to do.

The light retracted and settled in Rogues eyes... she didn't know why, but she looked around at the others. She saw everyone who was trying to pull the jet to safety, then she scanned the surroundings to see the jet in the distance.

She felt weak from whatever had just happened and her knees gave out on her.

* * *

The others looked around to see Rogue face down in the snow and they panned the surroundings to see the jet.

"De jet!"

"Oh god... do you think they are alright?"

Everyone except for Wolverine and Deadpool ran over to the jet. He walked over to her. "Kid... is that you?" She didn't respond, didn't move.

The fear welled inside of Wolverine as he got closer. "Kid..." he used his boot to nudge her. "Rogue?" He knelt down next to her and turned her over. "Kid?"

He shook her lightly to see if it would wake her, but nothing he was doing seemed to work. The sounds of all the relieved mutants exiting the jet seemed to wake her.

Logan looked down into her emerald spheres and realized that they were wrong. "Logan... what... how'd... oh my head."

"Don't worry kid... you seem okay now and everyone is safe, relax were gonna go home now."

Deadpool noticed something, a bright light in the corner of his eye then he was hit by three bullets. Trask walked up to Logan while he cradled Rogue in his arms.

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AN

** Thanks for reading and please review. Don't worry we're not finished yet!! **


	24. Finally Home

**Chapter 24: Finally Home**

Trask fired off the rest of his clip one foot away from them.

Blood exploded from their skin as the bullets made impact. Logan was hit on his knee, shoulder and neck. He dropped Rogue from his arms as his body grew weaker as the blood pored. Rogue was hit by a bullet on the upper left side of her chest and things began to get fuzzy.

She laid on the ice floor in a pool of Logan's and her own blood. The blurred image of Trask standing above her triumphant began to burn it's way into her minds eye. After everything she did, how could this be it...

Trask a brand new clip into his gun and took aim at her head. She watched as the bullet exploded out of it's chamber, but as it came within inches of her face she closed her eyes...

* * *

Click, ...click … click

Within a millisecond the bullet was swatted away from her and X-23 lunged at Trask. She tackled him to the ground and began to beat him into a bloody pulp when she was suddenly pulled off of him by Scott.

He turned the dial on his visor to full blast when Deadpool got up and knocked him to the ground. He flung his swords in such a fluid beautiful motion before they plunged into Trask's torso.

To all around him it was like it didn't even happen. Trask stood there in front of Deadpool with his eyes wide with shock, he couldn't believe it himself.

All eyes were on Bolivar Trask as his knees gave in and he fell to the ground. _Bested by a bunch of freaks..... _His eyes grew more tired as the seconds passed. _I've done what I did for the survival of humanity and this is how I'm repaid... I hope they all burn in hell._

They watched as his surprised eyes closed and his face rested on the cold frozen ground.

* * *

"Is... is... is he... dead?" Most of the young members of the two teams had never seen, let alone watch a person die. They all felt something inside of them drain away as the blood rushed from his four wounds.

Storm ordered everyone back onto the jet. "Hank I need some help, bring the first aid kit."

It took a few moments until Logan woke up. They all knew he would be okay, so they turned their attention to Rogue and the others.

* * *

"What did the professor say, John?"

"I didn't get ta calling em back yet."

"Do that! Tell him we need an emergency clinic put up somewhere in the house before we get there."

John made his way to the jet and passed the waking Kitty. "Wa... what?"

Piotr made his way over to Kitty. "Everything is alright, Katyn."

"Where's... what happ..."

"No worries, everything is okay now."

"R.. Rog...?"

"They're with her now. Just rest your tired body, we'll be back in Bayville soon."

"What did I like, miss?" He smiled gently at her, sat in the seat next to her and began to tell her the story.

* * *

Kurt sat in a chair wrapped in bandages with an iv needle stuck into his hand. His eerily beautiful yellow eyes shined to the back of the jet where Hank worked on his sister diligently as Logan hovered.

"She gonna be okay Hank?"

"Like I said before Logan, we have to wait until we get back to the house for an answer."

"I thought she was covered Hank, I didn't know he had a clear shot of her."

"Don't blame yourself, it's not like you could have stopped it. Now that Trask is..."

"Don't mention that bastards name Hank, he's dead and it's better that way."

"What about that... that man who kille..."

"He deserves a prize." X walked back to them and sat near Rogue. "That sick son of a..."

"Cut it out!" Storm stood still at the mouth of the jet. "It's over now, none of us have to think about this anymore, let alone negatively. Now everyone stop it!"

"Ro..."

"No, that's it. It's over, now is the time to recuperate and think positively."

"Who's flying the jet?"

She smiled at them. "Scott is piloting for me at the moment."

The three answered her in unison. "Oh." X looked down at Rogues longer shaggy hair, the dark black veins had subsided. Her skin was still to pale and opaque to look healthy.

* * *

Her hands and knuckles were bruised and cut open. Her shirt was cut off, her bare skin and bra were exposed along with the bullet wound. She could see the huge furry blue guy tried to clean up the blood as much as possible.

"What's going to happen to her?" X looked up at Wolverine and Hank.

"We will bring her into the infirmary when we get home and do everything and anything we can to make her better." Hank smiles and gently squeezed her shoulder.

X knew he meant no harm, but she shrugged his hand off of her. "I don't like to be touched. You're going to take care of her, right?"

"Of course we will."

Realizing what she was asking Wolverine looked her in the eyes. "Why? Where d'ya think yer goin bub?"

"I... I was going to..."

"Get settled in a room?"

"N.....o. Actually, I was going to take..."

"Off?"

"Ah-huh."

"Well twerp, I think you're not goin anywhere. I think yer gonna stay where I can keep an eye on ya."

"Like that'll happen."

"Wanna test me?" She looked in his eyes and saw dark shadows in their pure blue, he really was serious.

* * *

By the time they all arrived at the manor; everyone left behind waited in the aircraft hanger. Hank and Wolverine carried Rogue out of the jet carefully, up to the infirmary. After the parade of friends, allies and strangers ended all of those who were not injured began to help those who were.

Jean, Kitty, Kurt and Rogue lay on beds in the infirmary. The Kitty and Kurt kept their eyes glued on their unconscious teammates. Jean and Rogue hadn't woken up since they all left the facility in a hurry.

With Trask dead, no one worried about what could have possibly been left behind; they could always go back...

"You like, think they're gonna be okay?" Kitty's blue eyes pleaded with her friend.

"Ja! Zhere going to be fine, don't vorry." (yeah)

"What do you think is going to, like you know, happen?"

"Uh... I... I'm not so sure. Maybe..., I don't know." He stared at his sister, she laid so still with wires and tubes attached to her. Despite what she had done to him earlier that day, he wished he could take all that pain and suffering away from her.

* * *

Hank walked into the doorway of the infirmary. "So how are my favorite patients?"

"Better."

"Fine."

"So... on a scale of one to ten, how is the pain?"

"Like a two."

"Negative four." Kurt answered all the while keeping an eye on his sister.

"Don't worry..." Hank placed his massive furry hand on Kurt's narrow shoulder. "They just need some time to heal. They'll be bickering in no time."

"Ja, I hope so." (yeah)

* * *

X-23 was waiting on a woman who needed her help to get up off her bed. _I'm not a crutch!_ She growled in her head.

She had been warned the week before about being rude and mean to any of the people in the house. She bitched and moaned in her head as the days went on and she was kept 'Hostage' by Wolverine.

She brought the woman to the bathroom and back and nearly ran out when the woman told her she didn't need anymore help.

She knew that if she wanted to leave so badly she wouldn't be chased. Wolverine was preoccupied with worrying about Rogue and what was going to happen when she woke up. Still she didn't leave, something inside of her wanted to stay.

Maybe it was because these people were the most decent people she had ever met, or because she grew to feeling more for them over the week and a half she had been there. This was strange for her, loving other people.

She never believed that people could depend on other people, especially strangers. This place was different, all the people here didn't care if they didn't know you, all they knew was that if you needed help they wanted to help you.

She felt a definite pull to two people here the man that she was created from and an older girl who took care of her when she didn't have to. If she stayed she would finally have a 'family', she would finally be able to be a kid and not a weapon of destruction.

She got in the elevator and went down to the infirmary, where she was drawn to. She walked into the emptied room where her first friend lay in bed trying to pull the iv out of her arm. "Hi."

* * *

Rogue turned to see X and smiled. "Hey you, how ya doin?"

"You shouldn't do that."

"You and everyone else says that, but ah don't listen obviously."

X smiled, walked over to the chair beside the bed and sat. "When are they going to let you join the real world again?"

"Why, ya lonely?" Her grin was teasing, but it broadened.

"Did they say what they're going to do?" She crossed her heels as her leg shook nervously.

"Bout what?"

X hesitated and let out a nervous sigh. "You. I've heard them talking about... you killing those commandos."

"Oh..." Her smile fell from her face as she sank back into her bed. "So... you gonna stay here or are you gonna go back to Nunavut?"

X rolled the idea of going back to Nunavut around in her head for a moment and realized the the freedoms of being a kid, of staying in the manor. "Well... I... I..."

Rogue felt a twinge as her mind seemed to unlock what X was trying to say. "Ya gonna stay aren't ya?"

"How'd you know?"

"Just know things some times, it's something new... something..." She scrunched up her face. "Different."

"What did they say about the,... being more different."

"Well,... the prof thinks it's gonna be permanent. Ah on the other hand am overwhelmed, don't know what ah'm gonna do about it."

From behind them the professors voice rang in their ears. "Well, you can do what you used to, use your new abilities to help others."

"Ah know that."

"I know you do, but sometimes people need reminders. Especially one whose been away as long as you."

"Sure..."

He rolled over to her bed with two wrapped packages in his lap. The smaller one he handed over to X and the larger one to Rogue. "Welcome home, the both of you." He exited the room leaving the girls to themselves.

X opened her package to see a black uniform with the team logo and looked up at Rogue. She opened her package to a hooded green and white cape. Underneath was a matching green and white uniform. Things were finally back to normal.

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AN:

**Thanks to all who were on this journey with me. I really like how this story came out and how it's being finished. I figured I'd throw some comic elements into the end of the story, I think it was because I like her green comic uniform. **

**Thanks to all whom have been on this ride with me and reviewing my first real successful story. I loved writing it for you and getting the wonderful feedback. **

**Thank you...**

**Thank you...**

**Thank you...!!!**

**Love to you all and please review. Tell me what you didn't like about how it ended or what you like about it. As always I love all of you!! **

**-Jade.**


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